Blood and Iron
by BronzeAndIron
Summary: The Starks were a large family: five true siblings and a half-brother. Would one more Stark child truly be able to make a difference? Or would her fate be tied to that of her twin brother, Robb?
1. Chapter 1

**Here we are - my first fanfiction story! This first chapter is short, because it is only a prologue, but have no fear the next chapter will be much longer! Please review and let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Catelyn**

Catelyn rolled her head to the side, trying to control her breathing and focus on anything but the pain between her legs. All she saw beside her was a plain sandstone wall, the same walls she had looked upon as a little girl when she was still Catelyn Tully. Now she was Catelyn Stark, her husband away in the South fighting in Robert Baratheon's rebellion. Ned had left before the two could get to know each other well, but he did manage to get her pregnant before his departure. Cat was glad; Upon Ned's return to Winterfell, she would be able to present Ned with the best gift a wife could provide her husband. Surely he would love her then, especially since there were two babes in her belly, though not for long. Just this morning she was praying for the babies to arrive, so she did not have to carry them in her belly any longer. Nine months was a long time and two babies were very heavy and Catelyn began to wonder if her back would ever be straight again. _I just want this to end_ , she thought as another spike of pain racked through her body.

"You must start pushing again m'lady," said one of her midwives. And push she did. Catelyn was determined to bring her two babes safely into the world, no matter how much pain they caused her. Through sweat and tears, Catelyn Stark pushed and breathed and pushed and breathed until the sound of her first born crying filled her ears. The sound was so sweet and brought her such joy, that she almost forgot about the second babe. But her second child was not far behind, and was soon delivered as well. It seems as though the twins did not want to be apart for long. It would later be said that the midwives, and even Maester Luwin, we're not certain as to which child was delivered first, the two babes looked so alike and the second had followed so quickly after the first that the midwives barely had time to grab the babe from the Lady Catelyn's womb.

As her two children were placed in her arms, Catelyn thought that she had never been happier. Her babies were beautiful and healthy and she already loved them. Each of them had ten fingers and ten toes and a tuft of red-brown hair on their head.

"One boy and one girl, Lady Catelyn. What would you name them?" It was Maester Luwin who had posed her the question. This was not the Maester of Riverrun, he was of Winterfell and would be returning North with her when her babes were strong enough to make the journey. He was yet another reminder that she was no longer a Tully; she was Catelyn Stark now and would be leaving her old home and life behind. But as she looked at her own children, they looked every bit a Tully with their auburn hair and baby-blue eyes. Her little reminders of home. But her precious babes were also children of war and winter, so Cat decided she must provide her children with strong names.

"The boy will be called Robb, for the brave Robert Baratheon, my husband's brother in all but blood. And the girl will be Alyanna, for her spirited Aunt – may she be returned to safety."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **AN: Thanks to those who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed. I hope ya'll enjoy the first chapter and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Turns out its pretty hard to edit your own work when you've been staring at a computer for several hours... Also, in my bio I've added links to pics and gifs of my OC characters if you'd like to check them out.**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Alyanna hated waking up early, but she loved watching the sunrise. The normally grey sky was afire with oranges and pinks as the sun made its way over the granite walls of Winterfell. Keeping her eyes trained on the sky, Alyanna began walking toward the archery range with her ironwood bow in hand. The longbow was beautiful, the wood black as night and made from the old ironwood trees that grow in the godswood. Alyanna smiled as she remembered when her father had given her the bow for her tenth birthday.

"This is no toy," her father warned as he handed her the bow. "And you must not let your practices get in the way of your lessons with the Septa or Maester Luwin."

It has been 6 years since Ned Stark gifted his eldest daughter with the bow and for 6 years Alyanna has woken up early every morning in order to practice her archery before the day began. Much has changed for Alyanna since she was 10, but this fact remained constant.

Alyanna turned away from the sunrise and looked out over the courtyard once more. Farlen gave her a nod as he headed towards the kennels to feed the hounds, Mikken was starting the fires in his forge, and a couple of serving girls headed towards the keep to begin their duties. The courtyard was mostly empty, but Winterfell was beginning to rise with the sun and the yard would become increasingly busy as the morning drew on. As Alyanna reached the practice yards, she set down her bow and began to remove her sable cloak from her shoulders.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" a voice called from behind her. Not a voice she was expecting, unfortunately. Most mornings, Robb or Torrhen would join Alyanna in the practice yards and this voice belonged to neither of them. Alyanna turned to see Theon Greyjoy, her father's ward, walking towards her.

"No. And besides, I like the cold." Alyanna bent down to pick up her longbow, noticing that Theon was carrying his own bow as well. _Gods be good_. Alyanna wasn't unpleasant this early in the morning, but she certainly did not have the patience for Theon's company. Choosing to ignore Theon, she plucked an arrow from the barrel beside her and faced the target. Alyanna closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she readied her stance and notched the arrow. _Of course, it's difficult to ignore someone when you can feel their eyes on you_ , Alyanna thought. Reluctantly, Alyanna opened her eyes and gave Theon an expectant look.

"Robb always talks about how talented you are with a bow; I thought it was time I saw it for myself."

Alyanna knew Theon better than that. "Come to check out the competition then?"

Theon huffed and Alyanna smiled. If Theon wanted to watch her practice then so be it, she wasn't threatened by Theon Greyjoy. Alyanna had seen him practice many times and he was a great archer, but Theon was also cocky and didn't train as often as she did. Still smiling, Alyanna turned back to the target and prepared to fire once more.

"Don't you want to take some steps forward? It's still awfully dark out, and you're standing well behind the line of fire…" Theon sounded almost worried. Apparently he wasn't gifted with Alyanna's eyes either. _Eyes of the wolf,_ her mother called it. Her eyesight was even better than Robb's, when they were hunting together she was always able to spot prey from a further distance than him. She thought that maybe it was because he had the blue eyes of a Tully and her the grey eyes of a Stark, the one major difference between them. The arrow landed in the center of the target with a thunk.

"Are we going to practice or are you going to continue annoying me?"

The comment may have been a bit harsh, Alyanna will admit, but she was accustomed to silence in the mornings. Robb or Torrhen, or both, usually worked wordlessly beside her. Theon grumbled something that she probably didn't want to hear and headed toward the target beside her. The training grounds were quiet then, except for the twang of bow strings and the thud of arrows on canvas. Mornings were calm, almost meditative, with the cold air nipping at her skin and daybreak coloring the sky above her. Alyanna was so focused that she almost missed Robb calling her name. Luckily, she turned just in time to catch the apple that was aimed strait for her head. Alyanna was about to throw the apple back at Robb when he interrupted her.

"You may want to hurry inside Aly, Septa Mordane won't be happy if you're late for lessons again."

Robb was right, she realized, as she glanced up at the sky. The sun had already moved higher than she had originally thought. Letting out a groan, Alyanna hurried to her rooms to change into a proper dress before needlepoint lessons, the Septa would not appreciate her showing up in her leather pants and knee-length skirt. She could hear Robb laughing behind her.

* * *

 **Sansa**

Sansa heard a soft curse to her right and looked over to her sister. A proper lady did not laugh at such words, but Sansa could not help the slight smirk that graced her lips at her elder sister's expense. Alyanna may be good with a needle, but she was not good at sewing. Thanks to her gifted eyes, Alyanna could thread a needle on the first try and her strokes were always true, unlike Arya's crooked ones, but she lacked the patience and artistic skill to turn those strokes into beautiful designs. Feeling Sansa's gaze, Alyanna's attention drifted from her work to her sister. Alyanna must have noticed the quirk in Sansa's lips, because she gave her sister a quick wink before looking over at Arya to see how their youngest sister was faring. Sansa returned to her attention to her own work once more. She loved to sew. She was good at it, better than her sisters, and she loved the idea of turning something simple into something beautiful. Sansa always got the most praise from Septa and Mother, sometimes even Father, and she loved that too. Sansa's attention was stolen once again when she heard a crash to her right. When she wearily glanced up she saw that her oldest sister had knocked over a basket of threads, some of the spools rolling across the floor. At first Sansa was confused, Alyanna was not a clumsy girl, but when she followed her sister's gaze to see Arya slipping out of the room while Septa Mordane was distracted, she understood. Alyanna was helping Arya escape. Sansa did not say anything; she knew her sister only did it because she liked to make people happy. Oftentimes, Alyanna would sneak Sansa lemon cakes from the kitchens after her mother had told her she had too many. So Sansa quietly returned to her work, she would get more done without Arya here complaining anyways.

Sansa was just finishing her second flower when she heard laughter and yelling through the open window. No doubt Arya had interrupted her brothers' training again. Alyanna chuckled beside her but made no move to leave the room. She was creating something that looked vaguely like a wolf.

Sansa was just starting on the leaves when her mother dragged a guilty Arya back into the room. The Lady Catelyn planted a quick kiss on the top of Sansa's head and made her way over to Alyanna. Her mother whispered in Alyanna's ear, something about a deserter, and then quickly left the room. Alyanna looked troubled after that, but Sansa did not say anything. She wasn't supposed to have heard, ladies do not eavesdrop.

Sometime later, after Sansa had completed a total of five purple flowers with leaves and vines wrapped around them, a knock was heard on the door. All the ladies in the room turned and watched Torrhen Cassel standing in the doorway, Sansa thought she heard Jeyne Poole sigh. Torrhen bowed his head slightly before speaking.

"Pardon me my ladies, I've been asked to escort Lady Alyanna, Lady Sansa, and the little Lady Arya to their brothers."

Beside her, Arya grumbled; she did not like to be called little or a lady. Sansa supposed that was the reason Torrhen called her that, the grin on his face indicated as much. Sansa and her sisters stood and followed Torrhen out the doorway.

When Alyanna reached Torrhen, he handed her the cloak in his hands, "You left this in the training grounds this morning." Alyanna quietly thanked him.

"Where are we going?" interrupted Arya.

Torrhen simply smiled, "It's a surprise." He was smart for not giving away their destination; if he had Arya would have dashed down the hallway and beaten them all there.

Torrhen and Alyanna walked side by side in front of Sansa and Arya, and Sansa could not help but admire them. They looked just like the lords and ladies in her favorite songs, doe eyed and always smiling at each other. Sansa was not blind, she had read enough stories about love to know what it looked like. If only Torrhen was not baseborn, Sansa would have swooned over his relationship with her sister… if there even was a relationship. As far as Sansa knew, Torrhen and her sister were merely friends who shared the occasional longing glance.

"That took longer than I expected," Alyanna told Torrhen.

"Bran's pony slowed us down a little, and we found something." Torrhen replied.

"Found…"

Torrhen interrupted Alyanna by putting a finger to his lips, signaling them all to be quiet. They were outside the kitchens now. Sansa heard her brothers' excited voices inside and if she listened closely, Sansa thought she could hear whimpering.

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Seven direwolf pups, Alyanna could hardly believe it. The only thing harder to grasp is that their father let Alyanna and her siblings keep them. Surely their mother would protest, especially if she saw her children now. The Stark children were surrounding one of the kitchen tables and all seven pups were spread out on the tabletop. The white pup remained laying by Jon, its red eyes surveying the room. Sansa chose the prettiest of the litter and Arya's pup refused to be picked up. Bran was talking quietly to the pup in his arms, and the direwolf almost looked as if it was hanging onto every word he said. Rickon had yet to touch the direwolf in front of him, and the wolf seemed to be as weary of Rickon as Rickon was of it. Alyanna wasn't sure if that would be a good combination or not. The two remaining pups were wrestling in front of Robb.

Alyanna walked toward the kitchen table with seven rags in her hands. Each rag was soaked with warm milk so that the pups may feed. The direwolves were still attempting to feed from their mother's breast when Robb and Jon found them, since they were still too young to eat solid food. Without their mother around, the Stark children had to feed their pups by having them suck on rags soaked in warm milk. Alyanna walked around the table and handed a rag to each of her siblings, pausing by Rickon to show him how to feed his pup. She reached Robb last and handed him a rag as well. Alyanna laughed as she noticed that Robb's and her direwolves wouldn't stop biting each other.

"Remind you of anyone?" Robb asked, he was laughing too.

"Nope," Alyanna replied as she pushed her twin over to make room for her on the bench.

The direwolf pups fell asleep soon after they had been fed and the Stark children were able to eat their own lunch. Once lunch was over, Sansa, Arya, and Bran took the pups with them to their lessons with Maester Luwin and Robb left to go find their father. Alyanna reluctantly turned to Rickon; she supposed she had to take him to his bedchambers for a nap since their mother was not here to do so. Alyanna expected her father to be absent from lunch and in the godswood instead, but she did not know where her mother was. Alyanna turned to Rickon, but the five year old took off before she could do anything.

"Rickon!" Alyanna called as she chased him out of the kitchen. The poor boy probably thought he was going to get out of a nap since his mother wasn't present. Alyanna quickly caught up to her brother and picked him up, his little legs still kicking as she carried him to his bedroom.

"Aly!" Rickon complained.

"Did you notice that the direwolf puppies were all sleeping?" Rickon quieted, the subject of direwolves still very interesting to him.

"Yes…" Rickon answered, unsure of what his sister was trying to say.

"And do you know why they were sleeping?"

"No…"

"Because, Rickon, the pups need their rest if they want to grow up to be big strong wolves one day and so do you."

Rickon did not say anything after that. As Alyanna turned the corner and came upon the hall with her family's sleeping quarters she saw her mother exiting Rickon's room.

"Good, I was just looking for him," her mother stated, looking slightly puzzled at Rickon's calm demeanor. "Put him to bed."

Alyanna followed her mother back out of the hall after Rickon was in his bed sleeping. When she and Robb were younger, they would have lessons with the Maester every afternoon, much like her younger siblings do now. But now that Robb and Alyanna are older, Robb shadows their father and Alyanna spends her afternoons with their mother, Robb preparing to be Lord of Winterfell one day and Alyanna learning how to be the Lady of a household.

As Alyanna continued to follow her mother down the stairs Catelyn stopped walking and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Not today sweet girl, your father and I have much to discuss. You and Robb have been given the afternoon off."

Her mother looked almost sad, but Alyanna dared not question her mother for fear that her free afternoon would be taken from her. Instead, Alyanna smiled and turned to run back up the stairs and find Robb, she had a pretty good idea as to where he might be.

"Why do you think we were given the afternoon off?" Robb asked as he struck at her left flank.

Alyanna stepped to the right and deflected his sword with her own. "Mother said she had a lot to talk about with father," she replied, this time ducking under Robb's sword when he swung high, "whatever that means…"

"Father has been receiving an unusually large amount of letters recently. He won't even let me read most of them." Robb didn't seem too happy about that, his swing harder and faster than normal, but Alyanna dodged his blow easily enough. Robb liked to rely on his strength during a fight, but Alyanna was smaller and quicker than he was. Alyanna noticed out of the corner of her eye that Jon was no longer resting underneath one of the sentinel tress and instantly raised her guard. Jon likes to sneak up on her.

"I think it's more than just the king's visit. I think there's something else," Robb said wearily.

"What could possibly be more important than the king's visit?"

Alyanna found herself backed up to a dense section of trees and attempted to move away but Robb intercepted her path. She was too easy of a target here for Jon, he could surprise her from behind one of the trees. By the smirk on Robb's lips, Alyanna knew her brothers had planned to do exactly that. Trying to draw her back further, Robb aimed straight for Alyanna's chest, but determined not to get caught between her two brothers, Alyanna dove straight for Robb and ducked under his sword at the last second. Hitting the ground and rolling past Robb, Alyanna came up behind her brother just in time to see Jon emerge from behind the trees. Alyanna took a couple steps back to catch her breath as her brothers slowly stalked towards her. _Always running_ , she chastised herself. Alyanna rarely went on the offensive since she and her brothers typically used these training sessions to teach Alyanna to defend herself. In order to even come close to defeating Robb and Jon, she couldn't keep running. Jon was just as quick as she was. Her brothers had fanned out before her, Robb moving to her right and Jon to her left. Before either brother knew what was happening Alyanna kicked Robb's thighs, causing him to stumble back, and quickly spun to meet Jon's sword with her own. Jon pushed against Alyanna's sword with his, causing her to fall back into Robb. Robb grabbed Alyanna around the waist and brought them both down to the ground. The twins hit the ground laughing and neither made a move to get up to keep fighting. Jon was laughing too as he stood above them, his sword already forgotten.

"You should know better than to try and defeat someone larger than you in a contest of strength Alyanna," called a voice from the trees.

Her brothers ceased laughing and whipped their heads to the side, but Alyanna was not worried. She would know that voice anywhere. Following her brothers gaze, Alyanna found Torrhen leaning against a great sentinel tree with his arms crossed before him. Torrhen always took these practices more seriously than her brothers and her. When they first started teaching Alyanna how to fight with a sword they were just children playing, but Torrhen was two years older and the first to realize that they were not merely swinging swords for fun. They were training to kill their enemies and to protect those that they love.

"Come," Torrhen said, walking towards her and reaching down a hand to help her up, "Your father summons you to his solar."

Sending Robb a confused look, she took Torrhen's hand and allowed him to pull her up. Perhaps it was time they found out what their father and mother had been discussing.

"What does my father want?" Jon asked, helping Robb up and starting to follow them.

Torrhen shrugged, "He only asked for you sister." Now Alyanna was truly confused, but she followed Torrhen regardless, sending Robb and Jon sympathetic looks over her shoulder.

Once her brothers were out of sight Torrhen chuckled and asked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

At her confused look, he smiled wider and gestured to her shoulders. Alyanna let out a curse and started to turn back and retrieve her cloak when Torrhen gently grabbed her arm. She turned back towards him, confused, until he placed her own cloak around her shoulders. _How did I not notice him pick it up?_ Alyanna wondered. She always tried to pay as little attention to Torrhen as possible in front of her brothers, she must have done too good of a job ignoring him this time. Alyanna definitely noticed him now. Torrhen was standing very close to her, his hands still on her shoulders from when he put on her cloak. Slowly one hand moved to twirl some hair that had fallen out of her braid around his finger. Alyanna fought the urge to lean into him as his eyes closed and she could feel his breath on her face.

"Torrhen," Alyanna breathed.

"Hmmm," Torrhen hummed, opening his eyes to meet her own.

"We shouldn't keep my father waiting."

Torrhen lowered his head and removed his hands. "Of course not, my lady."

 _My lady_. Torrhen knew Alyanna hated when he called her that. She supposed that was his way of getting back at her for denying him a kiss. The pair continued walking underneath a canopy of trees and Alyanna took her hair out of its braid and attempted to smooth it to make herself look presentable. The walk from the godswood to her father's solar was a long one. Alyanna had taken to practicing swordplay in the back of the godswood where people were less likely to find her, and so far no one had. Only Robb, Jon, and Torrhen knew this secret. Her father allowed her to practice with a bow and arrow, but surely he would deny her the chance to learn to wield a sword.

Once they reached her father's solar, Torrhen knocked on the door and opened it after her father bid them enter. Torrhen greeted her parents before closing the door behind Alyanna, leaving her alone in the room with her mother and father. Begrudgingly, Alyanna realized that she forgot to change into a dress. Hopefully her cloak covered her enough to conceal her trousers, most people did not notice when she wore pants if she kept her cloak wrapped around herself, but her mother might be able to tell. Thankfully, her mother seemed rather distracted.

"Have a seat," Ned gestured to one of the chairs opposite his desk. Her mother remained standing by the fire.

Alyanna did not like the look in her father's eyes, so instead of looking at him she turned her attention to the eastern wall. The walls were covered in various maps of the North that Alyanna had all but memorized. As a little girl, Alyanna would sit in her father's solar whenever she got into trouble and study the maps on the wall to pass the time. Now, Alyanna felt like that little girl again. Ned shuffled through some letters lying on his desk and sighed.

"You're six-and-ten, a woman grown," her father began, "and I've been getting many letters from southern lords and even my own bannermen, each asking for your hand."

 _My hand? Strange choice of words_ , Alyanna thought. _It almost sounds as if he's talking of marriage, but surely not…_ Alyanna wasn't so certain however, when her mother began to wring her hands together and pace alongside the hearth.

"Your mother and I have given this much thought. You are a northerner, through and through; it would be a disservice to send you down South, away from the winter and the wolfswood. So I have accepted Lord Rickard Karstark's proposal to marry you to his eldest son, Harrion, a man of twenty-five. The blood of the first men flows through the Karstark's veins, just as it does in yours and mine, their history with the Starks spanning hundreds of years…"

Her father continued talking but Alyanna didn't hear a word he said after marriage. Alyanna knew she should consider herself lucky, many girls got married when they were younger than she. But as she met her mother's eyes, she couldn't help but feel like a little girl. She wasn't ready to get married and leave her home and her family, to leave Torrhen… but her father's word was final.

Direwolves south of the wall, the King riding for Winterfell, and now she's getting married. As a shiver ran down her spine, Alyanna couldn't help but wonder if winter was already here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Thanks those who followed/favorited/reviewed. Sorry this update took so long, I just moved and started my summer internship so I just haven't had a lot of time. Again, I apologize for any mistakes its almost 3am and I was up late watching Pompeii because Kit Harington. Also, this chapter is very Alyanna/Torrhen but I really just wanted to get some things established before the story starts. The next chapter will begin the events of GoT with the King's arrival.**

* * *

"Staring at the ceiling in the dark

Same old empty feeling in your heart

'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast

Well you see her when you fall asleep

But never to touch and never to keep

'Cause you loved her too much

And you dived too deep."

-Let Her Go, Passenger

 **Torrhen**

Torrhen's mother died of a fever when he was five and his father, the newly appointed captain of the household guard, was unable to take on those new responsibilities while also taking care of his son. The Cassel family had always been friends to the Starks; Torrhen's own grandfather had died fighting to save Lyanna Stark at the Tower of Joy. So Ned Stark took in Torrhen Cassel, raising him alongside Robb, Alyanna, and Jon Snow.

Two years older than Alyanna, Torrhen began to develop an interest in girls long before she was ever interested in boys. Young Torrhen never saw Alyanna as a girl, always wrestling with her brothers with twigs in her hair. He liked her very much as a friend, she was funny and tough and daring, but he never thought of her the way young boys ordinarily think of girls. Instead his affections were directed towards other girls around the castle. Torrhen was handsome, even at a young age, and there was no shortage of girls willing to kiss him.

Now Torrhen realized he was a fool for thinking he was interested in all those other girls, for when Torrhen finally looked at Alyanna and saw her for who she was, he wasn't able to look away. Torrhen and his father, Jory Cassel, had joined the Stark family at the head table for dinner and he sat next to Robb while Alyanna was across the table from them, sitting next to Jon. Torrhen was 15, Alyanna 13, and this was the first time Torren truly paid attention to her when she wasn't training or roughhousing. Alyanna was wearing a dress with her hair combed and braided, and she was smiling and laughing.

Torrhen sought out Alyanna often after that and began to notice more things about her that he had never seen before. The way she treated her half-brother and Theon (like they were part of the family), the way she smiled at and greeted everyone she passed, the way she held herself and walked with confidence. When Torrhen next practiced swordplay with Alyanna and her brothers, he made the mistake of looking into her eyes, as grey as a stormy winter's night. Before he knew what was happening, he was knocked to the ground and Alyanna had defeated him for the first time. Her smile was so pretty that Torrhen almost let her win every fight since then just to see that smile. _Almost_.

Torrhen and Alyanna were alone in the godswood the first time he kissed her. The two were sitting under a tree catching their breath after practice; Alyanna had twigs in her hair again, her cheeks were flushed, and her chest (that had started to develop – he'd definitely noticed) was rising and falling as she took deep breaths. Torrhen wondered how he had never noticed how beautiful she was before.

He'd said it before and he'd say it again, he was a fool for wasting his time with those other silly girls and he was doubly a fool for taking so long to see Alyanna for the amazing young woman she was turning into.

And so, as Alyanna closed her eyes and tilted her head up to feel the sun's warmth on her skin, Torrhen found himself leaning closer to Alyanna and softly pressing his lips to hers. Thinking back on that day, Torrhen realized it was probably not the best decision to surprise Alyanna like that. She quickly pulled back from the kiss, punched him in the stomach, and ran out of the godswood – her face even redder than before. Torren was extremely dejected and embarrassed until the next day when Alyanna cornered him in the hall and kissed him.

They had shared many other kisses in the Godswood and around the castle since then and their innocent kisses had turned into something more as the two began to develop deeper feelings for each other. It was a young, sweet romance in the beginning, but eventually the pair grew older and began to better understand the world around them and the roles they would have to play. Alyanna would never be allowed to marry a baseborn like Torrhen, no matter their feelings for each other. One day, Alyanna would be set to marry some high lord and leave Winterfell. And Torrhen, he would remain in Winterfell and follow in his father's footsteps and become the head of the household guard. This caused some strife and resentment between the pair, both blaming the other for circumstances beyond their control. Alyanna and Torrhen couldn't pretend to hate each other for long though and soon the two were back to sneaking kisses in hidden corners of Winterfell, but both began guarding their feelings much more closely.

Crossing the courtyard, Torrhen frowned as he noticed Alyanna wasn't in the practice grounds again this morning. He hadn't talked to Alyanna in a fortnight, not since he had escorted her to Lord Stark's office. Alyanna hadn't even been the one to tell him about her upcoming marriage, he had heard it from Robb. As infuriated as he was at first, all Torrhen wanted to do now was to talk Alyanna and to hold her. Alyanna was the current cause for his pain, but she was also the only one who could comfort him.

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Alyanna looked down upon one of Winterfell's many courtyards from the window in her bedchambers while her direwolf lay at her feet. She had woken up with the sun, as she always does, but she could not find it in herself to leave her room just yet. Outside the comfort of her own room, she was forced to face reality. The morning was just beginning for Winterfell's residents and many people began to move throughout the courtyard but one caught her attention above all the others. Torrhen Cassel was crossing the yard below her with a sword strapped to his side and the guard's grey cloak hanging off his shoulders. Alyanna couldn't help but sadly smile at the sight of him. He had done so well for himself in recent years despite his young age. Already a well-known and respected member of the household guard, Torrhen was well on his way to becoming captain. He would be okay once she was gone, he had to be. He was strong and loyal and Alyanna trusted Torrhen to keep her family safe. He even had his own family here in Winterfell: his father, his great-uncle, and Beth, his great-uncle's daughter. Alyanna wondered if he would even get married himself one day. The thought bothered her more than she would like to admit; here she was, promised to another, and still she couldn't let him go. Alyanna was angry with herself, angry with her situation, and just plain angry. She didn't used to care when Torrhen kissed other girls, until one day when she was ten-and-two and Alyanna saw Torrhen kissing one of the kitchen maids behind the stables. Alyanna wasn't sure why she was angry, so she put a bug in the girl's hair the next time she saw her and Torrhen tried not to laugh as the girl ran away shrieking. Alyanna loved his laugh. Torrhen didn't laugh often, he smiled a lot but his laughs were rare.

Torrhen didn't seem to be smiling now though. He walked proudly, with determined strides and his head held high, but there was a frown on his face and a crease to his brow. Alyanna couldn't help but feel guilty for avoiding him; she just didn't know what to say or how she should act. They both knew she would be married to a lord one day. The thought lingered in the back of their minds constantly, poisoning every touch and every kiss.

A knock on her door caught her attention and she turned to see Jon walking into her room carrying a tray of food. Her stomach grumbled and the direwolf pup at her feet let out a bark in response. Ghost trailed into her room behind Jon.

In response to her grateful look, Jon only shrugged, "You missed breakfast."

She had missed breakfast, but only because she did not want to risk running into Torrhen. She was a coward. _Jon, such a sweet brother_ , she thought as she stepped forward to take the food from his hands. _Or not._ Jon took a step back as soon as Alyanna made to take the food.

"First, you have to get dressed."

"What…?" Alyanna wasn't really listening. She reached for the food once more, and again Jon moved it out of her reach.

"Get dressed. I'm not going to let you mope about all day."

"I haven't been moping!" But she had been, and she knew it, Alyanna had just hoped that no one else had noticed. Apparently, she wasn't as schooled at hiding her emotions as she thought. Still, Alyanna did not want to admit Jon was right so she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him defiantly. Jon smirked and turned his attention to the tray of food in his hands. The breakfast smelled delightful: bacon, sweet rolls covered in honey, and strawberries. Her traitorous brother selected a piece of bacon from the plate and began to eat it in front of her. Alyanna tried to act disinterested, but her growling stomach gave her away. The noises of hunger coming from her belly seemed to confuse the two direwolves in the room: ghost tilted his head to the side while her own direwolf growled back. After finishing the piece of bacon, Jon reached for a strawberry next, smiling all the while. Jon knew strawberries were her favorite, the little cheater. Alyanna quickly stole the strawberry from his fingers and disappeared behind her changing screen.

"Fine you win," Alyanna was not above admitting defeat, especially when there were strawberries involved. "And don't eat anymore while I'm changing!"

"Well hurry up then, the hunting party is leaving soon."

"We're going hunting?" Alyanna threw down the dress she had originally picked up and poked her head around the side of the screen, "Why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"

Jon didn't give her an answer but the spark in his eyes told her all she needed to know. Alyanna would have gotten dressed willingly if he told her they were going hunting, but that was too easy and not as much fun. Disappearing back behind the changing screen, Alyanna began to put on her leather pants when another thought came to mind.

"Is…is Torrhen coming?" Some members of the household guard would have to go with them and it was likely that Torrhen would be one of them. Alyanna could almost feel John rolling his eyes. Of all her brothers, Jon was the only one that had his suspicions of her and Torrhen, though Jon has never said anything to her about it.

"No," John replied. "The King would be half way to Winterfell by now, so father is sending an honor guard south to meet King Robert on the road to escort his grace and the rest of his party to Winterfell. Torrhen is busy assisting Jory in the preparations."

Alyanna didn't say anything as she tied up her grey riding dress. The dress reached her at mid-calf and had slits all around the skirt that allowed for easy movement. She then put on a leather corset on top of her dress that would act as a light form of armor. Lastly, Alyanna fastened a garter to her upper thigh and sheathed her dagger inside. Always, Alyanna kept a dagger on her, hidden beneath her skirts.

Stepping out into the open of her room, Alyanna saw Jon sitting on the floor watching the pups wrestle over a piece of bacon.

"You never said the direwolves couldn't have any." Jon always thought he was so clever.

Her riding boots were next to Jon, so she sat beside him and put them on as she ate what was left of her breakfast. She would get back at Jon later, right now she didn't want to be late. Alyanna loved hunting; it was the largest freedom her father had ever granted her. She was not permitted to attend executions or practice with a sword, but she could go hunting. Finished putting on her boots, Alyanna stood and strapped her ironwood bow and quiver full of broadhead arrows to her back. Jon was quick to follow her as Alyanna exited her room and braided her hair on the way to the courtyard.

"There you are!" Robb called. He was already ahorse, along with most of the hunting party which consisted of about twenty of the household guard, Theon, and their father. Once she and Jon had mounted their own horses, Ned Stark made the order for them to move out.

As she rode beneath the gatehouse, Alyanna looked back to see Robb's and her direwolf pups chasing each other in the courtyard. Grey Wind and Quick Silver they were appropriately named. Grey Wind was fast like Robb and Quick Silver was quick and agile like Alyanna. The direwolves would be a force to be reckoned with when they grew bigger.

The hunting party thinned out in order to cross the draw bridge and ride through the streets of wintertown. The nearly empty village would be full to bursting when winter arrived and farmers and other nearby families left the countryside to come live safely in the shadow of the castle. But for now wintertown only housed a small number of families and was only busy when the markets were running. Alyanna was too young to remember the last winter and now she supposed that she may never see wintertown at its finest. She would be married and living in Karhold by the time the next winter arrived.

The thought of her upcoming marriage dimmed Alyanna's spirit, but not for long. It was an unusually warm day with not a cloud in the sky. Alyanna cherished the rare feeling of the sun on her skin as the hunting party crossed the small meadow that lay between wintertown and the wolfswood. The differences between the godswood and the wolfswood always intrigued Alyanna. The godswood was beautiful and serene while the wolfswood was wild and unpredictable. Riding beneath the first line of trees, Alyanna felt the warmth of the sun leave her skin, all around her were oaks and grey-green sentinels and the occasional ironwood, black like the bow strapped to her back.

When she heard the rancorous laughter of men behind her, Alyanna was glad she had stayed towards the front of the group. She could hear Theon's voice above the others and she did not even want to know what sort of story he was telling this time. Instead Alyanna moved her courser up closer to her father's. She hadn't seen her father much since that day in his solar, but Alyanna supposed she couldn't avoid him forever, and she didn't want to. Not sure if she was angry with her father or not, Alyanna did not want to hold a grudge against him. He was only trying to look out for her, and he could have easily married her off to some southron lord years ago to further his alliances. Instead, he allowed his eldest daughter to remain with her family a while longer and accepted the proposal that he thought would be best for Alyanna. So when her father sent her a smile over his shoulder, she returned it. Alyanna would miss her father greatly when she left, she would miss everyone, but she did not know what she could do. From the day of her first moon's blood, Alyanna had been prepared for marriage. Septa Mordane taught her how to be a lady, her mother showed her how to run a household, and Alyanna tried to guard her own heart – but it wasn't enough. Jon was too honest, Rickon too sweet, Sansa docile and Arya rebellious, Bran was ambitious, and Robb and she were the best of friends. She loved them with all her heart. And Torrhen, Alyanna had tried her hardest to keep him out of her heart, but he kept finding his way back in. Alyanna would have to let him go, if either of them were going to have a chance at being happy, but she did not know how. Bowing her head, Alyanna sent out a silent prayer to the gods to help her and give her strength.

The laughter of men quieted as the hunting party slowly came to a stop. They were deep enough into the wolfswood now that they should find plenty of game. Her father split the hunting party into three groups; she was sent south with Robb, Jon, and four guards. Five more guards were left behind to watch over all the horses and another party went west and her father and his men headed north.

Several hours later their small group was heading back to the horses with little to show for their day of hunting. Only a couple pheasants, some rabbits, and a beautiful snow fox that Alyanna planned to give to Sansa for a new cloak. Sansa's cloak was becoming too short for the girl; she was growing so fast that she would be as tall as Alyanna soon. The party did not spot any larger game though. One of the guards thought there might be a bear living nearby scaring them off. Another said it was because of the direwolf found south of the wall. Alyanna wondered if the animals were moving further south because they sensed that winter is coming, though Alyanna did not think it would be here so soon.

Jon was walking quietly ahead of the group, still looking for prey, but Alyanna spotted the dear long before he did. The buck was beautiful, with five points on each antler, and was grazing behind some brush. Alyanna quietly knocked an arrow so that Jon would not notice, but she kept her bow at her side, not ready to fire just yet. Once Jon spotted the buck, he wasted no time in reading his bow to fire. But just before he released his arrow, another arrow flew past him and struck the buck in the heart. Jon quickly spun around to see Alyanna smiling behind him with her ironwood bow in her hands.

"Thought you had him didn't you Jon?" Alyanna asked. "Well, I thought I was going to have a bigger breakfast."

Robb laughed behind them and Jon good-naturedly bumped her with his shoulder. At least they now had some larger game to present to their father.

That very same buck that Alyanna shot in the wolfswood was served for dinner in the great hall that night. Unlike many lords and ladies, the Stark family ate dinner in the castle's great hall with many of the other people that lived in Winterfell. The tables were full of knights, freeriders, smiths, guards, and all their wives and children. Lord Stark kept a couple of extra seats at his family's table and each night he would invite a different family to join them for dinner. This night the Cassels had joined the Stark family at the head table: Ser Rodrik, Beth, Jory, and Torrhen. Luckily, Jory and Torrhen seemed busy talking to Lord Stark about the honor guard that would be leaving on the morrow. Jon was telling Arya the story of how Alyanna killed the deer, Sansa was giggling with Beth, Bran and Rickon were feeding the direwolves under the table, and Alyanna was at the end of the table talking with Robb about the lights in the sky. Not the stars, the stars were visible every night, these lights were said to only appear in the winter and would light up the Northern sky with ribbons of pink and green and purple. Robb and Alyanna were too young the last time the lights appeared to remember them, but the twins were excited to finally see the lights this winter. When they were younger, their mother often told them stories about the first time she had seen the Northern lights. She was traveling north to Winterfell with Robb and Alyanna in her arms when night began to fall and colors danced across the sky. Robb and Alyanna had waited to see these lights since they were children and often talked about them and wondered what they looked like.

Alyanna and Robb talked for so long about the lights in the sky that she didn't even notice as most people had cleared out of the great hall, already finished with wine and dinner. When Alyanna and Robb finally stood to leave the hall, the Cassel family had already left as well as her younger siblings. Jon left with them and he and Robb walked in front of her in the hallway. Mayhaps it was because of the wine, but Alyanna felt a strike of courage as she walked the hallway and decided to ditch her brothers when they weren't looking. She slipped down one of the lesser used halls in Winterfell and headed towards a meeting place that her and Torrhen often used. Winterfell was an old and large castle with many deserted walkways that lead upwards and downwards so that whoever walked the paths seldom knew what level of the castle they were on. Alyanna walked one such path now, unsure of whether she hoped Torrhen was in their meeting place or not. But he was, as Alyanna moved an old drape she saw Torrhen leaning against the wall in the little hidden nook in the hall.

"I thought you might try and avoid me forever."

"No, not forever." Alyanna replied as she leaned against the wall opposite him. Torrhen noticed the distance she put between them and didn't seem too happy about it. The silence between them was awkward, but didn't last long.

"You're getting married." Torrhen whispered, blunt as ever. Alyanna wasn't able to look him in the eye, hearing him say those words made it seem all the more real. Removing himself from the wall, Torrhen took a step toward Alyanna and gently used his hand to lift her chin. She tried to keep a straight face, but the longer she looked at him the more Alyanna felt herself losing control. When she couldn't stand it any longer, Alyanna threw herself into Torrhen arms and hid her face in the crook of his neck. He readily caught her and stroked her hair as he held her.

"Tell me what you want," Torrhen said as he tightened his arms around her. "Whatever you need, I'll do it."

Alyanna pulled back slightly so she could look into his eyes. _He really would_ , she realized. Torrhen would do anything for her – the thought excited and frightened her. She could see the fire in his eyes, but he was holding back his ire for her. Torrhen knew Alyanna was too bound by her honor to go against her father's wishes. Here she was breaking his heart, and still Torrhen remained devoted to her. Alyanna was annoyed by Torrhen's reasonable behavior, if he was cross with her it would not be so hard to hurt him this way.

Not knowing what to say, Alyanna closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Torrhen's. Before either knew what was happening, their faces tilted towards the other and their lips pressed together. Alyanna melted into the kiss and allowed herself this one selfish moment, Torrhen didn't seem to mind. His hand cupped her face as he deepened the kiss and held her closer to him. His arms were so warm and strong around her that Alyanna felt safe and she pretended for a moment that those arms were able to do anything for her, just as Torrhen had promised.

* * *

 **A/N: Please don't forget to review, I really want to know what ya'll think of the story so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I only own my original characters, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Thanks to those who followed/favorited/reviewed, the support this story has received thus far makes me really happy :)**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

"We need plenty of candles for Lord Tyrion's chamber. I'm told he reads all night."

Alyanna turned as she heard her mother's voice and saw her entering the great hall with Maester Luwin in tow. Every morning and afternoon, Alyanna has been working with her mother to prepare Winterfell for the King's arrival. Currently, Alyanna was readying the great hall for the King's welcoming feast. The scouts had come in last night and reported that the King and his party were due to arrive today. After conversing about candles with Maester Luwin, Lady Catelyn approached her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything looks to be in order," she told Alyanna, "just be sure there is plenty of light. The feast will not begin until sundown."

Lady Stark then left the hall with the Maester and Alyanna ordered more candles to be brought up from the cellars. Soon enough, the great hall was all in order and ready for the feast.

Suddenly, the doors burst open as Bran and his direwolf ran into the hall, her brother yelling, "The King! The King is coming!"

Everyone around them fluttered about in a frenzied sort of excitement and Alyanna decided to head towards the courtyard where her family would receive the King. She had already put on her best clothes and styled her hair that morning since she did not know when the King was due to arrive.

When she reached the courtyard, Alyanna saw that Sansa was already waiting, standing in front of the crowd and holding Rickon's hand. Jon and Theon were also there, positioned just behind Sansa. Alyanna approached her sister and noticed that Sansa was wearing her new cloak with the fur of the snow fox that Alyanna had shot for her.

"You look beautiful," Alyanna told her sister.

Sansa reached up and petted the soft fur of her new cloak. "Thank you," Sansa blushed, the girl was complimented on her beauty almost daily and still she blushed. Alyanna hoped Sansa would never change.

Walking past Sansa, Alyanna took her place to the left of her sister. The Stark children would line up to their father's right, with the oldest children standing closest to father and the youngest further down the line, except for little Rickon who would stand beside their mother on Father's left.

Robb reached the courtyard just after Alyanna and stood to the left of his sisters. Alyanna was annoyed that Robb had taken the spot of the eldest child until she looked at him and had to hold back a laugh. All traces of his beard were gone; Mother must have made him shave. _Poor Robb_ , she thought with false sympathy, _he was so proud of that beard and it had taken awfully long to grow_.

"There you are dear brother," Alyanna said, pinching his newly shaven cheeks, "now you look the part of the younger twin." Alyanna quickly pulled Robb to the other side of her so that she now stood on the left.

"You are too kind sweet sister, but we both know I am the oldest." Robb tried to move past Alyanna to reclaim his space, but Alyanna blocked his path. She thought she heard someone snickering behind them.

"I know no such thing." In truth, none but the gods knew which of the Stark twins was the oldest. The Maester said that Robb and Alyanna looked so alike at birth and were born so quickly that no one was able to keep track of which twin came first.

Robb glared at her and attempted to move around Alyanna again, but she kept blocking his path. When that didn't work, Robb pulled on her arm and Alyanna pushed back on his chest. Before long the twins were pushing and pulling and wrestling like they did when they were kids. Robb had just gained the advantage when their father and mother were led into the courtyard by Bran.

"Robb! Alyanna!" The twins quickly straightened themselves and smiled sheepishly at their parents. Lady Stark looked absolutely mortified at her children's behavior.

Sansa handed Rickon over to their mother as the Stark family stationed themselves in front of the crowd that had gathered in the courtyard. Alyanna eyed the small space between Robb and their father, wondering if she could fit, but decided not to try when her mother sent her a glare. Anyway, it would be hard enough to move now with the fuss Sansa was making over her hair. Alyanna vaguely remembered Robb yanking on her hair at some point and Sansa was trying to fix the mess, sending Robb dirty looks over Alyanna's shoulder.

"Where's Arya? Alyanna, Sansa, where's your sister?" The two girls turned to face their mother and shrugged, Arya was harder to keep track of than Rickon. Alyanna was about to offer to go and look for her sister when the sound of trotting horses and clanking armor alerted her of the King's arrival. Luckily, Arya chose that moment to dash in front of her family.

"Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing with that on?" Lord Stark asked, taking the helmet off Arya's head and handing it to Theon behind him.

Baratheon and Lannister banners came into view as the first of the party rode into the courtyard. Robb straightened himself beside her, mimicking Father's stance. Prince Joffrey was the first person Alyanna noticed; he was wearing Lannister crimson and sat tall atop his horse with a smirk on his face. Robb and Alyanna shared an annoyed glance, neither of them liking the way the arrogant prince was looking at Sansa. Next, a giant wheelhouse, also the Lannister crimson, rolled into the courtyard. _Lions are awfully proud_ , Alyanna thought. A large man rode in after the wheelhouse, surrounded by the gold cloaks of the King's guard. Alyanna's father had told her many tales of Robert Baratheon, the man Robb got his name from. Ned and Robert had grown up together in the Eyrie, both wards of the late Jon Arryn. The two had loved each other as brothers, both going to war together to help protect Ned's sister and Robert's betrothed, Lyanna Stark, the woman Alyanna was named for. When her father told Alyanna of his friend and king, Robert, the tales were about a man of courage and strength who tore apart kingdoms and unseated the royal family all to save to woman he loved. The tales made Alyanna swoon when she was young and as inclined to romance as Sansa. Alyanna had met the King once before, Robb and she were only seven and the Greyjoy Rebellion had just been put to an end. Back then, the King looked like a giant, towering high above Alyanna's head. He had a booming voice and there was always a glass of wine in his hands, but his hands and arms and all the rest of him was strong. The King Robert that rode into the courtyard now looked nothing like she remembered; Alyanna almost didn't recognize him. Before Alyanna could study King Robert further, she kneeled alongside her family and the rest of the audience. When she peaked up, she noticed that the King needed the help of a stool to dismount.

King Robert Baratheon approached the Stark family, and with a wave of his hand, they all stood. The King had a stern look on his face and Alyanna wondered if he was truly the laughing man she had met nine years past.

Lord Stark bowed his head and acknowledged the King, "Your Grace."

After a pause the King replied, "You've got fat."

Unfazed, Lord Stark motioned towards the fat belly of his old friend with a raise of his eyebrows. Robert and Ned laughed and shared an embrace, easing the tension in the air.

"Cat," Said the King, much happier now.

"Your Grace," Replied Catelyn, accepting the King's hug. King Robert ruffled Rickon's hair before returning to Ned.

"Nine years. Why haven't I seen you? Where the hell have you been?"

"Guarding the North for you, Your Grace. Winterfell is yours."

While the King conversed with Lord Stark, Queen Cersei exited the carriage, followed by her two youngest children. Alyanna could hear Sansa and Arya bickering beside her, but was too busy studying the King as he approached Robb and her to pay much attention to her bickering sisters.

"Who have we here?" The King shook Robb's hand, "You must be Robb and…" The King stilled when he looked into Alyanna's eyes "…Alyanna." Robert gruffly said her name before turning away.

A strange feeling overcame Alyanna when King Robert looked into her eyes. It almost felt as if he was looking at someone else, but Alyanna did not know who that could be. When the crowd around her started to disperse, Alyanna shook off the feeling and turned to her siblings beside her. Bran was enraptured by the knights that surrounded him, Bran himself wanted to be a knight one day, but there were few of them in the North for the little boy to witness. Sansa gazed at the Queen admiringly, but Alyanna had a much different impression of the Lannister. Cerci was renowned for her beauty, though she would look much better without a frown on her face. Alyanna thought it rude that the woman did not try to hide her distaste for the North, even if she was the Queen. Alyanna was not a fool, she knew Winterfell was not as colorful or bustling as the southern kingdoms, but the castle in the north had its own sort of beauty. The air was crisp and clean, grey clouds rolled and tumbled above them, and the trees were so tall they almost touched the sky. The weirwood trees in the south didn't even have faces on them! The children of the forest had carved faces into heart trees all over Westeros, before it was divided into kingdoms, but those trees and the old gods had been destroyed in the south long ago in favor of the new gods. The new gods had names and rules, while Alyanna's gods, the old gods, were name less and lived in the trees and the wind and the dirt. And when a gust of wind picked up, the Queen shivered and Alyanna smiled at the power of her gods.

* * *

"Arya Stark, sit still!" Alyanna ordered. Somehow she was the unlucky one chosen the prepare Arya for the feast tonight.

"But why do I have to take a bath?"

"You were covered in mud Arya," Alyanna deadpanned.

"But Nymeria…" Arya began, before sighing and shaking her head. The direwolf in question was out in the godswood, too muddy to be allowed inside. Alyanna's own wolf, Quick Silver, was lying peacefully by the hearth. The wolves had grown so much as of late, Quick Silver now almost reached Alyanna's knees.

"Come on," Alyanna helped her little sister up and handed her a towel. "Time to get dressed."

Arya frowned when she saw the gown that was laid out for her to wear. Arya hated dresses and everything else girly. Alyanna was a bit unladylike herself, but she was less open about it than Arya. Her little sister embraced who she was and was not afraid to show it, Alyanna admired that about her. Arya wanted to rule her own castle and fight her own battles; she would rather make a name for herself than make sons for some lord. But instead, Arya was forced to wear dresses and attend needlepoint lessons. Sure, she got to train with a bow and arrow, but a sword was never put into her hands. Arya did not have brothers her age like Robb and Jon, or even a good friend like Torrhen, to teach her in secret. Alyanna felt guilty for never taking Arya aside and teaching her how to use a sword herself, but Arya was so persistent Alyanna had thought Father would give in eventually. But Father never did and Alyanna began to wonder why woman's freedoms were so limited by men. Arya was not free to rule what she wanted and Alyanna could not love who she wanted.

Alyanna was saddened that she did not know how to help her sister or even herself. So Alyanna played the role of the dutiful daughter and held the dress out to Arya, because it was all she knew how to do. Alyanna did not know how to be the hero or the rule breaker, the woman who defied the odds and changed the hearts of kingdoms.

Kneeling next to her sister, Alyanna gave Arya the only advice she had. "Putting on a dress does not make you a lady, just like putting a sword in your hands will not make you a knight. They can force you to wear what they want, but they cannot change you. Only you know who you are, Arya Stark, and only you can change it." Arya was comforted by the words, but neither sister knew what those words would come to mean to Arya in the future when she found herself in a faraway land, across a narrow sea, and in a house of many faces.

* * *

The King's welcoming feast was like no other feast the North had ever seen. The great hall of Winterfell was stuffed with people, highborn and baseborn alike, and with the King's party had come singers and entertainers that rarely ventured this far north on their own. The sound of laughter could be heard over the music that filled the hall, and the air was stuffy and smelled of freshly baked bread. The lower tables were filled with people laughing and drinking and dancing, Alyanna itched to join them but was stuck at the higher tables with the noble families. Robb sat beside her, and together they laughed at the antics of the people below them, waiting for the chance to sneak away. Her father had already left his seat; he was talking with Jory Cassel, which meant Torrhen must be nearby. Alyanna had not seen Torrhen since he left a fortnight ago with the honor guard. She had looked for him earlier in the courtyard, but she could not find him. Alyanna was anxious to see him.

Robb and she perked up when they noticed a man with black hair and black clothes enter the hall. The twins stood and raced over to the other end of the hall to greet their uncle. When they arrived, Uncle Benjen was talking with their father.

Robb placed a hand on their uncle's shoulder, "Uncle Benjen." The uncle and nephew embraced.

"Robb boy, how are ye?" Benjen asked.

"I'm good," Robb replied with a smile as he pulled back from the hug.

Benjen then noticed Alyanna beside her brother and hugged her as well. "Sweet Aly, look how you've grown."

"It's good to see you again Uncle Benjen."

Benjen turned to his brother and said, "Looks just like our sister, doesn't she? Especially in the eyes."

After a moment Ned replied, "Aye, but for the fire in her hair." Her father did not like to talk about his sister much, Alyanna knew little of the aunt that she was named after.

Picking up on his father's and sister's discomfort, Robb put a hand on Alyanna's shoulder and said, "Come, let's get lost in this crowd before Mother notices we're gone."

The twins disappeared into the crowd and reemerged on the edge of the dance floor. The pair smiled at the mix of northern and southern-style dances taking place before them; there was rarely so much music and dancing in the north as there was tonight. Without any hesitation, Robb and Alyanna dove straight into the dance floor, spinning and clapping with all the other dancers. Robb even found a pretty northern girl to dance with while some southern lord was teaching Alyanna his favorite dance. Suddenly, the music picked up and Alyanna and the other women were tossed from one man to another in a fast-paced group dance. She found herself in Robb's arms first before he laughed and spun her towards Harwin, the horse master's son. The dance moved so quickly Alyanna barely registered who she was dancing with before she found a new partner. Just as the dance was ending, Alyanna was spun into one more man and when she looked up she found herself face to face with the very man she had been looking for all evening.

"Torrhen!" Alyanna exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly. She may have sneaked some extra glasses of wine when her mother wasn't looking.

Torrhen smiled at her fondly, "Hello, Alyanna." She thought she saw his eyes drift down to her lips, but only for a second.

This song was slower than the previous, and Alyanna and Torrhen swayed together in the middle of the dance floor. Alyanna couldn't keep the smile off her face, it had been so long since she had last seen Torrhen and she had missed him more than she thought she would. Enjoying the feeling of being in his arms once more, she ignored the fact that one day she would have to leave Torrhen for good. Truthfully, Alyanna wanted more than to just be in his arms. She wanted to feel his lips pressed against hers and the warmth of his hands as they wandered across her skin, but she was engaged to be married now and the kiss they had shared the night before he left was wrong. Wonderful, but wrong. Alyanna's heart was torn, she was not ready to give up the comfort and admiration Torrhen provided, plus he was one of her greatest friends. When Alyanna looked back up at Torrhen, she noticed that he was still looking at her.

"You're beautiful," Torrhen said in response to her confused glance. He leaned forward slightly to kiss her, and Alyanna's eyes widened as she leaned away from him. Sighing, Torrhen bowed his head. He knew he couldn't kiss her in public, especially now, but Alyanna thought that sometimes he just forgot.

"Torrhen, I…" Alyanna wanted to say something, anything, but she did not know what words could possibly help.

"It's alright, Alyanna," Torrhen said, squeezing her waist.

"I missed you," Alyanna said, in a poor attempt to change the subject.

"I missed you as well," Torrhen smiled, he had such a handsome smile. Torrhen looked around the room before he asked his next question. "Can I see you later?" he whispered.

Alyanna knew she should say no. How were they supposed to let each other go if they kept sneaking away in the night? In the end, it would hurt both of them, but Alyanna could not help herself when she nodded her head yes.

The song ended then and Alyanna and Torrhen could not remain dancing together without drawing attention to themselves, so Torrhen removed his hands from her waist before bowing at her and disappearing into the crowd. Alyanna suddenly had no more desire to dance and slipped away to the edges of the great hall.

"The Heart of the North," A voice said from beside her.

"Pardon?" She asked, looking around for the voice. Alyanna almost missed the little man standing next to her. Based on his height and crimson robes, this man could only be Tyrion Lannister, the Imp.

"The Heart of the North, that's what you are known as down south."

Now Alyanna was very confused. "Wha… people in the south know who I am?"

Tyrion nodded his head and took a sip of his wine before replying, "You have this effect on people, though I don't know why, you don't stand out, but they can't seem to forget you, you touch their hearts, without them even knowing."

Alyanna had no idea what the Imp was talking about; sure she had met plenty of southerners or others who were traveling south, but she didn't think she ever did anything worth remembering.

"You also have red hair," Tyrion continued. He seemed to be studying her, like he was also trying to figure out why she was so memorable.

Alyanna was at a loss of what to say when she heard Bran calling her name. Thankful for the excuse to leave, Alyanna gave Tyrion a brief smile and curtsey before she went in search of her little brother. Bran found her first as he crashed into her legs and hid behind her.

Alyanna let out a chuckle and asked, "What's gotten into you Bran?"

Bran shushed her before replying, "I'm hiding from Theon."

"Theon?"

Bran nodded, "Mother told him to take me to bed."

"Ahh, I see. Let's go and hide you then!" Alyanna grabbed Bran's hand and ran with him out of the great hall and into the courtyard. They heard the doors open behind them and turned to see Theon exiting, looking around for them.

Kneeling beside Bran, Alyanna whispered in his ear, "Go hide, I'll distract Theon."

Bran gave her a smile and a hug before darting away.

"No climbing!" Alyanna added as an afterthought. She had every faith in Bran's climbing abilities, but it was dark out and she still worried for him.

Alyanna stood just as Theon noticed her in the courtyard and marched over to her. "Where's Bran?"

"Bran? In bed most like, it's getting late."

"Alyanna," Theon huffed, "don't…"

Theon never got to finish his sentence, as he was interrupted by raised voices coming from the other side of the courtyard, near the practice grounds. Alyanna and Theon rushed towards the voices, noticing the shapes of two men in the distance. When they got closer, one of the men started marching towards them and Alyanna soon recognized him as Robb.

"What's going on Robb?" Alyanna asked.

Robb stopped in front of them and Alyanna could see that he was fuming. His hands were clenched at his sides and his jaw was shut tight. It took a while before Robb spoke and in that time the other man began to slowly make his way towards them.

"It's Jon," Robb finally replied, "He's joining the Night's Watch."

At that moment, the man in the distance walked by a torch and his face was illuminated. Alyanna instantly recognized him as Jon Snow, her half-brother. The night was so dark that his clothes looked black and Jon had a grim look on his face. Alyanna wondered if he becoming a brother of the Night's Watch meant that she would have to lose him as a brother. She hoped not, but as she looked at him now and saw a completely different man, she wasn't so sure.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to review, it would make my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **Kaizer-Kid: You should probably wait a few more chapters before declaring my character an Arya-clone, come back at like chapter 20 and let me know if you still think the same way. But I will thank you for making me realize that maybe some people aren't seeing my character the same way I do. Sometimes I forget that y'all don't know everything that's going on in my head so I tried to do a better job this chapter of explaining Alyanna's history and reasons behind why she started sword fighting.**

 **PrincessofFireflies: I know! I can't wait for you to find out what happens to her – I have so much planned! I have this problem of writing all of the future exciting scenes when I should be updating current chapters. The red wedding scenes are actually the first things I wrote for this story, because I like to torture myself apparently.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: Thanks for following! I hope you like this chapter too. I've read my fair share of GoT stories and the main reason I started this one is because I kept looking for stories like mine but couldn't find one so I just decided to write my own.  
**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

"There is great honor in serving the Night's Watch, they have manned and guarded the wall for eight-thousand years."

Lord Stark spoke from behind his desk while three of his children stood across from him. Alyanna, Robb, and Jon had been summoned to their father's solar at daybreak. It had been a week since the King's arrival and Lord Stark must have picked up on the tension between his eldest children since Jon had announced his wish to become a brother of the Night's Watch, though Father had yet to grant Jon his approval. Jon's desire to join the Night's Watch had come as a surprise to Robb and Alyanna, as their brother rarely spoke to them about it. Though, Alyanna recalls several times when she's caught Jon staring off into the North, and she suspected that the subject had been on his mind for quite some time. Alyanna was saddened when she realized that Jon had been keeping this a secret from Robb and her, and she wondered what they had done to lose his trust. Yet, when she remembered Robb's anger and her own resentment when Jon told finally told them, Alyanna thought she understood why.

"Robb, one day you will be Lord of Winterfell and Alyanna, you will be Lady Karstark soon. Where does that leave Jon? At the wall, Jon will have more honor and purpose than he does here. There are greater opportunities for Jon at the wall."

Alyanna knew her father was right, but Jon was such an important part of her life that she often forgot that he was only her half-brother. Then she thought about how others around the castle treated Jon, like her mother and Theon. Jon would never be fully accepted here, never be able to do all of the great things he was capable of, all because his last name was Snow. Alyanna realized how selfish she was being, by not allowing Jon to leave. Their father was right, Jon would be able to find his honor on the wall, and would be around brothers that would treat him as an equal.

"That is why I have decided to allow Jon to join the Night's Watch. Jon, you will depart with Benjen in a few days' time when the King's party heads to the capitol and Alyanna leaves for Karhold."

A small smile graced Jon's lips and Alyanna decided then that she would no longer be upset with him over his choice. Jon's decision to join the Night's Watch could not have been an easy one, but in the end it was probably for the best.

"Thank you Father, I won't disappoint you," Jon bowed.

Robb looked significantly less angry than he was several days ago. Most like, Robb trusted in their father's decision and his reasoning behind it. As future Lord of Winterfell, Robb studied their father intently, striving to be as wise and honorable as him one day.

"There is more," Lord Stark spoke again. "I am going to accept Robert's offer to become Hand of the King."

Robb, Alyanna, and Jon were only half shocked at the news. King Robert had presented their father with a great offer, he would be the second most powerful man in Westeros and Sansa would one day be Queen. Alyanna knew her father did not accept the offer because he desired power though, he would only leave Winterfell if he thought he was needed more elsewhere.

"Robb, you will be acting Lord of Winterfell while I am gone. Your mother and Maester Luwin will be here to assist you."

Alyanna looked over at Robb and could see the hesitation behind his eyes. To father and Jon, he looked calm and confident, but she knew Robb better than that. She and Robb had been together since birth, rarely spending more than a few days apart from each other. The twins relied on one another for everything. Robb was always the one Alyanna went to when she had nightmares, and Alyanna was always there to support Robb when he was having doubts.

"I will be taking Sansa, Arya, and Bran with me when I leave."

This did shock the young adults in the room. Sansa was expected to go to King's Landing now that she was engaged to Joffrey, but Alyanna did not think her father would take her other siblings away too. Now Alyanna was even more regretful that she would not be staying in Winterfell a bit longer. The castle would be a lonely place for Robb with most of his siblings gone, he would be in a similar situation to her at Karhold – both would have little family support around them.

Alyanna was now studying both of her brothers. Jon looked happy, happy and hopeful. She couldn't help but be happy for him too. But Robb, he looked lost. Jon was about to gain a whole new family while Robb was losing his; and Alyanna, she would be in Karhold, surrounded by strangers. The wolf pack was being separated and Alyanna was grateful that it was a peaceful summer – the lone wolf does not survive long on its own.

* * *

 **Torrhen**

Winterfell's main courtyard was teeming with people preparing to depart on one last hunting trip before King Robert led his party south again. The party was larger than usual; even the Imp was taking part in the day's activities. Torrhen was leaning against a granite wall, avoiding the crowd, when he saw Alyanna exit the keep with Robb and Jon, all three direwolves at their sides. Her brothers were dressed in hunting gear, but Alyanna was wearing a dress and her cloak. Torrhen was about to go to her, but paused when he saw her laughing with her brothers. Alyanna and Robb's relationship with Jon had been tense as of late and Torrhen was glad to see them laughing together again. The night of the King's welcoming feast, Alyanna had been heartbroken when she had met Torrhen, just after she had learned of Jon's desire to become a brother of the Night's Watch. She would be much happier now that she was getting along with her brothers again. Letting Alyanna have her moment alone with her brothers, Torrhen waited by the wall until Robb and Jon left with the rest of the hunting party.

Alyanna kneeled beside Quick Silver and began petting the direwolf's fur when Quick Silver noticed Torrhen and barked in his direction. Alyanna turned to see who her wolf was barking at and smiled when she saw it was him. Torrhen loved the way she looked at him. Wanting to spend some time alone with her, he nodded his head in the direction of the godswood and left the courtyard. He knew she would follow soon.

While waiting for Alyanna in the godswood, Torrhen unsheathed his sword and let out a few practice swings. He loved the feeling of a sword in his hands, he felt stronger and more in control.

"Oh," a voice said from behind him. Torrhen spun as Alyanna walked into the clearing, still wearing her dress. "I didn't know we would be practicing today," she continued.

Torrhen gave her an odd look, "What else do we do in the godswood?"

"I can think of a few things," Alyanna replied with a smirk on her lips as she continued walking towards Torrhen.

"Shame on us," Torrhen laughed, "this is a holy place."

"I don't think the gods mind too much," Alyanna shrugged and looked around her. "They haven't dropped any branches on us yet."

She was right in front of him now, with that damn smirk still on her lips. He wanted so badly to kiss her then. Actually, if he was being honest, he always wanted to kiss her, but he could see the hesitation behind her stormy eyes. Alyanna often felt guilty about kissing him, especially now that she was engaged, though Torrhen suspected she was more worried for his feelings than those of her betrothed. While he was distracted, Alyanna stole the sword from his hands and spun away from him. The motion was clumsier than usual.

"It's heavy," Alyanna huffed, using both hands to lift the steel longsword.

Alyanna always practiced with wooden swords and Torrhen could already see how a steel sword would slow her down and make her movements clumsier. When they were children, Alyanna was just as strong as her brothers, but Robb and Jon had gotten much stronger than their sister as they grew older.

Torrhen nodded, "You're strong enough to use a bow, but a steel sword is impractical."

Alyanna lowered the sword, "So what am I supposed to use in a fight then?"

"Your dagger," Torrhen pointed to beneath her skirts where she always kept the dirk, "you always carry it on you. You'll never be on a battlefield, so no one is going to attack you with a sword. If you are ever attacked, it will be by someone who's weaponless or only has a dagger."

Torrhen approached Alyanna and took the sword with one hand and used the other to lift her skirts. Alyanna's breath hitched but she did not try to move away. Torrhen continued to raise his hand up her skirt, running his hand along her thigh until he found the garter. Smirking, Torrhen quickly unsheathed the dagger and stepped back from Alyanna. When she realized she had been tricked, Alyanna grew angry and started towards Torrhen, but paused when he raised the dagger between them.

"Try and take it," Torrhen said, keeping the dagger pointed at Alyanna. When she only glared at him he continued, "I'm your attacker, try and take the dagger from me."

Alyanna tightened her jaw and advanced on him. She was only able to dodge one blow before he knocked her on the ground. She growled, stood, and attacked him before getting knocked on her ass again. The next time she attacked him, Alyanna was at least able to hit him square in the jaw before Torrhen had the knife poised at her throat. Torrhen had to hand it to Alyanna, she was tough. She took a good number of hits, but she never stayed down. Unfortunately, she took more hits than she gave and was only able to steal the knife from him a couple of times. Torrhen could tell that she was getting frustrated.

"This is useless," Alyanna cried after one particularly hard fall. "I'll never be able to kill anyone."

"Kill?" Torrhen put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Aly, even if you were stronger than me, you wouldn't be able to kill me. You aren't a killer."

Alyanna pulled away from him. "Then what's the point of all this?" she asked, raising her arms.

"Hopefully you'll never have to kill," Torrhen answered. "You just have to hold off your attacker long enough for one of your brothers or me to arrive."

Alyanna shook her head before replying, "But you won't be there."

"Yes I will," he answered confidently. "I will always be there when you need me."

"No, you won't," Alyanna raised her voice, "and neither will Robb or Jon. You and Robb are staying here, and Jon's leaving, and I'm leaving and I'll be all alone in Karhold."

"I'd come with you, you know," Torrhen whispered. "If you asked me to."

Alyanna shook her head and looked away from him.

"I'd…I'd join the Karskark's guards, or convince Lord Stark so send me with you as your personal guard…"

Alyanna looked at him again, "That's not fair. Your future is here and I'm not going to make you watch me marry someone else. It wouldn't be right"

Torrhen raised the dagger again, this time meaning to hand it back to her when he heard a soft growl to his right. Quick Silver had entered the clearing during their fight and was growling at seeing a blade so close to Alyanna.

"At least you'll always have her," Torrhen smiled. The direwolf was still much smaller than she would eventually grow to be, but she was very protective of Alyanna.

"Yes," Alyanna laid a hand on the wolf's head to quiet her, "at least I'll always have her."

Alyanna took her dagger back from Torrhen and spun it around her hand a couple of times; the move was simple, but it told him that she hand handled the blade before.

"How..?" he began to ask.

Alyanna shrugged and continued to spin the dagger, "I wanted the dagger to feel more natural in my hands, so I started messing around with it at night when I can't fall asleep."

Torrhen wasn't sure he liked the look of her with a weapon so comfortably in her hands. Alyanna was a tough girl, but she had a gentle heart. She was made for loving, not for killing. The bow and arrow was different, less personal. It is easier to imagine that what you're killing isn't human when distance is added.

Just past midday, Torrhen and Alyanna were lying beside each other in the same clearing with Quick Silver's head across Alyanna's stomach. The sun was high above them, but was blocked by the grey clouds that covered the northern sky. Alyanna's grey eyes often mimicked the sky; they were stormy when she was angry and calm when she was happy.

"All those years ago, when you asked your brothers and me to teach you how to fight," Torrhen interrupted the silence. "Why?"

Alyanna eyes were closed and Torrhen thought she might be sleeping when she did not reply. Eventually, she looked up at the sky and gave him an answer.

"When we were little, the four of us would spend every day together, you were the best friends I had. Then one day it all changed. I was separated from you three – made to go to lessons alone with the septa while you three practiced in the training grounds. I used to watch you from one of the windows, laughing and having fun without me. I felt so secluded and alone, I just wanted to play with my friends again. So I asked Robb to play swords with me, and he brought you and Jon into it too. It was only a game to me, I just wanted to feel included and do what my friends were doing. It wasn't until recently that everything became more serious. I still don't plan on ever using these skills; I just keep practicing by habit. This has brought us four so close together, I thought if we stopped then we might lose that bond…"

Alyanna drifted off, losing her train of thought. She sat up on her elbows, waking Quick Silver up in the process. Her eyes were focused on something in the distance when she asked, "Why are there so many crows around the Broken Tower?"

Torrhen noticed the crows now too. A whole flock of them were flying around the old tower.

"Bran must be climbing up there," he replied. "He often takes corn with him and feeds the crows. They always create a fuss when they see him climbing the tower."

"Yes but…" Alyanna trailed off unsure. Beside her, Quick Silver stood and let out a soft whimper before howling. Her howl was quickly answered by another wolf, this time coming from the direction of the Broken Tower. Quick Silver let out another howl before running off. Torrhen looked over at Alyanna and saw the panic in her eyes. Something was wrong. The two of them quickly stood and chased after the direwolf.

* * *

 **Robb**

Robb had his doubts about King Robert Baratheon when he first saw him ride into Winterfell, all red-faced and barely able to dismount his horse. But today, he got a glimpse of the Robert Baratheon that his father had told him so many stories about. The man had taken down a bear, _a bear_ , all by himself. The King was stronger than he looked, both physically and in spirit. Robb now understood the respect his father had for the King. He could hear the boisterous laughter of the King behind him and even his father was laughing beside him. Robb laughed as well. Today he was able to forget about his worries of ruling Winterfell in his father's stead and that most of his family would be leaving home. _Yes_ , he decided, _today was a good day_.

The party was just passing through the outer walls when a commotion started at the front of the column and the riders parted to make way for someone in between them.

"Father!" A girl yelled. The voice sounded like Alyanna's, but different somehow.

But it was her. Robb could see his sister now, running through the middle of the party.

"Father!" She yelled again, this time Ned heard her and turned towards her. Even the King was silenced now.

She ran right past Robb, not even sparing him a glance. Her face was red and there were tears running down her cheeks. Robb hadn't seen her cry in years. When she reached their father, she grabbed onto his leg.

"Father," she said again, only this time her voice cracked.

"What is it child?" Ned asked with obvious distress in his voice.

"Bran," Alyanna began crying again and their father's face dropped. "He fell."

"Where?"

Alyanna took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "In his room, with Mother and Maseter Luwin."

Lord Stark spurred his horse on then, leaving Alyanna and the rest of the party behind. Robb was in shock, he did not know what to do, but he had to do something. Everyone was still, and Alyanna was left a mess in the middle of them. He had to get everyone away from her, she would not want anyone to see her like this.

"Jory," he called to the captain at the head of the column. "Lead everyone in, and see their horses are taken care of. Theon, take care of the carcasses, you know where they go."

"Aye," both men replied. Even Theon knew to listen to his orders now.

The hunting party continued forward, but Robb and Jon stayed behind. When the last of the riders was past him, he quickly dismounted and reached for his sister. Alyanna jumped into his arms and he held her tight, only then did she allow the tears to fall again.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Here we go, my longest chapter yet. Thank you to everyone who had followed/favorited/reviewed (especially PrincessofFireflies, my most loyal reviewer) but I hope more of you will review in the future. I really want to know what more people think of this story, its my motivation for writing!**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

There was absolutely nothing. No light, no feeling, and best of all no sound. Alyanna's dream was an empty wasteland and it was the best dream she's had in a long time. Actually, it was the only dream she's had in a long time, lately she's been having nightmares. But, all good things must come to an end. Alyanna could sense the howls before she heard them.

 _Wake up_.

The howling started off quiet, just a whisper far off in the distance, but they quickly grew in volume. One direwolf joined in after another until the whole pack was howling. The direwolves sounded so desperate, so broken, Alyanna couldn't stand it. She could feel their pain. She had to wake up, before the images came.

 _Wake up._

Too late. A flash of light, so quick that Alyanna could not see what was lying in front of her, but she didn't need to see. She knew what it was. The light flashed again, lasting a little longer this time. She saw blood.

 _Wake up!_

Another flash accompanied by twisted legs.

 _Wake up!_

Brown hair and freckles.

 _Wake up, wake up, wake up!_

Alyanna's senses were flooded as the world flashed around her.

 _No, it's a dream. Only a dream. Wake up._

The wolves had stopped howling. The sound always left when the light came. She did not want to look down, to see the same image as all the nightmares before, but her eyes moved on their own accord. There Bran lay below her, broken and twisted, just like the direwolves' howls. Only, something was different this time.

 _Don't wake up._

She hated seeing Bran like this, but it was something she had to do. The image was hazy, but the blood did not seem to be coming from behind his hips like usual. Bran's hair was in the way, but it looked like his neck was covered in blood. She kneeled beside her little brother and leaned closer to get a better look. She had to know what was wrong.

 _Don't wake up._

Hesitatingly, she reached out to brush his hair away, but another hand grabbed her around the wrist before she could touch him. The hand belonged to Bran. His eyes flew open, white as snow, and a wolf howled, the noise drowning out Alyanna's scream.

She woke up.

Or at least she thought she did. But her room was dark and the direwolves were howling outside, maybe she was still stuck in her nightmare. And yet, Alyanna could feel her sleeping furs clutched in her hands and see the faint light of the moon creeping in through the gaps in the shutters. She was awake.

Awake was almost as bad as asleep. Alyanna threw off her furs and jumped out of bed, not caring what time it was. She dressed simply, quickly braided her hair, and left her room. Alyanna hated lying still, especially when there was so much work to be done. Her father was leaving soon, but Alyanna was staying behind. Ned had sent a letter to Lord Karstark, delaying Alyanna's departure from Winterfell due to recent…events. Mother was grieving, and Alyanna needed to help run Winterfell. In truth, she did not want to run the household, and she shouldn't have to for many years, but Father was leaving and Mother was grieving. Bran was not dead, but her mother was acting like he was. Alyanna refused to think like that. There had to be hope and she had to keep moving, if she stopped working then she might start thinking. Alyanna did not want to think of her family's misfortunes as of late.

Walking quietly down the corridor, Alyanna tried not to wake up her siblings. She came to a halt when she passed Bran's door, her nightmare flashing in her mind again. Bran's neck looked like it had been sliced open. Bran had suffered many injuries from the fall, but that was not one of them. She should know, Torrhen and she were the ones who had found him. Seeing Bran like that, all broken and twisted, had broken her own heart. Alyanna wanted to cry again when she thought of how she found him, but she could not. Father had asked her to stay behind, so that she could be strong for her family, since her mother was not. Alyanna could not show weakness now, or she feared she would be of no use to her family and promptly sent to Karhold.

Alyanna found herself unable to walk away from Bran's room, not without checking on him first. Her nightmare had been disturbing and she just wanted to make sure Bran was alright. Quietly opening the door, Alyanna slipped into Bran's room. It was still night, or early morning, but the moonlight streaming through the open shutters provided enough light for Alyanna to see. The direwolves' howling seemed to give Bran strength; his condition always worsened when the shutters were closed to block out the noise. Bran was sleeping in his bed, lying in the same position she had seen him in yesterday and all the days since his fall. He had yet to move, except for the rise and fall of his chest that told Alyanna he was still breathing. The bed creaked slightly as Alyanna sat down beside Bran, but other than that the room was silent. Alyanna held her breath as she brushed Bran's long brown hair away from his face and sighed in relief when she saw no blood or cut on his skin. Alyanna took one more moment to study her little brother before kissing his forehead and standing again.

Turning to leave the room, Alyanna caught a glimpse of her mother sleeping on a cot beside Bran's bed. Her mother had yet to leave Bran's room since he was carried in by Torrhen. Lady Stark was acting like she was waiting for Bran to die and that made Alyanna angry. Bran couldn't die, Alyanna wouldn't even entertain the thought. Her little brother was so full of life, surely even the gods couldn't take that away from him. Looking away from her mother, Alyanna left the room as quietly as she had entered.

The hallways of Winterfell were dark and quiet but Alyanna did not need light to know where she was going. She had lived in Winterfell since she was an infant and had explored every hidden hallway and room of the old castle. Alyanna knew every twist and turn of Winterfell better than she knew her own skin. Robb and she had even discovered the old caverns that held the hot springs below Winterfell. Water from the springs ran through the walls, heating the castle. Running her hand on the warm wall beside her, Alyanna smiled at the memory.

A few twists and turns later, Alyanna noticed a light shining beneath the door to her father's solar. Her father also found it difficult to sleep as of late. Most like, the King was in there with Lord Stark. Bran's fall had also brought out another side of the King that Alyanna had not thought to see. King Robert grieved alongside the Stark family, offering both his support and his prayers. He even extended his stay in Winterfell, allowing Ned to wait for his son to awaken. The rest of the royal family had not been so generous, the Queen seemed anxious to depart and only offered the courtesies that were expected of her. The heir and Sansa's betrothed, Joffrey, had not even done that much. Alyanna hoped that the boy was more polite when he was in the capitol, for Sansa's sake. But Alyanna feared that Prince Joffrey would soon destroy Sansa's perfect picture of love and romance.

Apparently the King's generosity had limits however, as the royal party was to depart this very morning, while Bran was still sleeping. King Robert claimed that he had waited here for an entire fortnight for Bran to waken and could not afford to wait any longer. Alyanna supposed she understood his reasoning, but that did not mean she wanted her father and sisters to go.

Continuing past her father's solar, Alyanna kept walking until she found herself outside. The air was cold and nipped at Alyanna's skin. She lowered the hood of her cloak and relished in the feeling of the cold air on her face. The air was cold now but Alyanna wondered how much colder it would get when winter arrived. Old Nan told stories about winter, when snow piled hundreds of feet high and the nights were long and babies died in their sleep. Alyanna wasn't sure she believed those stories, after all Robb and she had been born during the last winter and they did not die.

Her feet carried her throughout the many courtyards of Winterfell until she found herself at the entrance to the godswood. The direwolves were howling inside and Alyanna wasn't sure she wanted to enter as her dream came to mind again. Shaking her head, Alyanna cleared the thought from her mind; she would save the superstitions for the old croons. When she opened the gate and walked inside, one of the wolves stopped howling. It was Quick Silver. Each direwolf sounded different, and she could tell the difference between their howls if she listened close enough. As Alyanna was closing the gate behind her, Quick Silver emerged from the trees and ran up to her. Quick Silver had grown to the size of the largest hounds in the kennels, and Alyanna did not have to kneel to pet her anymore.

"Hello girl," Alyanna greeted her direwolf.

The Stark children often got strange looks for talking to their direwolves, but those people did not understand the wolves the way the children did. Alyanna wasn't sure if the direwolves understood the words that were spoken to them, but there was an intelligence behind their eyes that suggested they at least understood the way the words were spoken and the body language that followed.

Quick Silver followed Alyanna as she walked further into the godswood and the other wolves soon quieted and joined them as well. Not knowing why she first entered the godswood, Alyanna received her answer when she saw the heart tree in front of her. The white bark gave off an eerie glow under the moonlight and the face carved into the tree was weeping tears of blood. _If I cannot cry, at least the gods can cry for me_ , Alyanna thought. The direwolves lay around her as she kneeled in front of the heart tree and prayed.

First, she prayed for Bran. She wanted to see him awake and smiling again. His smile would bring joy to her whole family. Then she prayed for her sisters, Alyanna feared both of her sisters would be forced to face reality in the south. Sansa would learn that the world isn't a song, and not every Prince and knight is honorable and just. And Arya, she would be forced to fit into the mold of a Lady and play a role she has never wanted to be a part of. She even prayed for baby Rickon, he was so young and does not understand everything that is happening around him. Alyanna hoped the gods would help him understand. Jon was joining the Night's Watch and she prayed that he would find a family there, one that would treat him well. Then she prayed for her mother and father. She hoped her father would not be too overwhelmed with the pressures of his new responsibilities, and she prayed her mother would find herself again soon. Alyanna barely recognized her mother lately. Last, she prayed for Robb and herself. They were both so young and were given such large responsibilities. She hoped they could live up to their parents expectations and make them proud.

Sometime during her prayer, Alyanna must have fallen asleep. She woke with her head on Quick Silver and Grey Wind draped across her feet. The sun had just risen and some pinks and oranges left over from the sunrise were just barely visible in the sky. Alyanna thanked the gods for granting her enough peace to sleep before rising and waking the direwolves around her. The royal party would be preparing to depart by now and Alyanna had much to do this morning.

When she opened the gate to the godswood, Alyanna took a moment to debate whether to release the direwolves or not. Realizing they would have to be let out at some point this morning, she opened the gate wider and allowed the direwolves to run out of the godswood. Alyanna chuckled when she heard some surprised screams down the alley where she assumed the direwolves had emerged from. Quick Silver and Grey Wind remained by her side as she headed towards the main courtyard.

The courtyard was a mess, filled with servants and guards all preparing for departure. Robb was in the middle of it all, giving out orders and controlling the chaos in front of him. Perhaps he didn't need her prayers after all, he reminded her of Father in that moment. Grey Wind ran to Robb's side and he turned to Alyanna and reached into his pocket.

Pulling out an apple, he tossed it to her, "You weren't at breakfast this morning."

"Thanks," Alyanna replied, taking a bite out of the apple. She thought the purpose of her staying behind was for her to help Robb, not the other way around.

Robb shrugged and said, "I'm just glad you're getting sleep somewhere." And he pulled a red leaf out of her hair.

Robb knew she hadn't been sleeping well; there were few things that Robb did not know about her. Yet, Alyanna was willing to bet that many people could tell she hadn't been sleeping. There were bags under her eyes and she was caught walking around the castle at all hours of the night. Sometimes she felt like a ghost, walking down empty hallways in the middle of the night.

"Are Sansa and Arya here yet?" She asked, with a mouth full of apple. She was hungrier than she realized.

Robb shook his head and replied, "No, they are still packing. Father will be down soon though."

Alyanna nodded and started to walk away, "I'll be back later then."

Leaving Robb, Alyanna headed in the direction of Mikken's forge. She walked past the Kingslayer on her way there and he looked her up and down before continuing on his way. Jamie Lannister gave her the chills, and not in a good way. Her spirits lightened when she saw Jon at Mikken's forge however.

"Jon!" She called, smiling at her brother.

He turned around quickly, hiding something behind his back and staring at her with wide eyes.

"What do you have there?" She asked. Jon looked nervous and her interest was definitely peaked.

"Just a gift," he replied, not looking in her eyes.

"Interesting," Alyanna hummed. She then turned to Mikken behind him and asked, "Are they ready?"

Mikken nodded his head and disappeared into his forge.

"Is what ready?" Jon asked.

"Just a gift," Alyanna smirked. Jon's privacy was his own, she trusted him enough to not snoop into his business. That didn't mean she wouldn't tease him though.

Mikken reappeared and handed Alyanna three small boxes.

"Thank you," she told the smith. Then winked at Jon and headed back toward the courtyard. "Oh," she said, turning around to face Jon again, "you better find me and say goodbye before you leave."

Jon smiled at her then, "Of course, Aly."

Alyanna rejoined Robb in the courtyard to help him organize the mess of people and supplies. She spotted Torrhen saying goodbye to his father. Jory Cassel would be heading south with Lord Stark as head of his guard, while Torrhen was staying in Winterfell to take his place as standing captain of the household guard. Robb the Lord and Torrhen the Captain, the men in her life were growing up very quickly she realized and she regretted that she would not be around long enough to see them transform into honorable men, just like their fathers. It was then that Alyanna saw her own father entering the courtyard with Theon. She ran up to her father to say goodbye now, knowing that he would be busy directing people soon like Robb was.

"I'm going to miss you sweet girl," he said, enveloping her in his arms. Alyanna rested her cheek on the fur of his cloak and could feel the warmth coming from him. Her father's skin radiated heat just like the walls of Winterfell.

"I'll miss you too father," Alyanna said, tightening her arms around him. "Stay safe," she added. Alyanna couldn't help but worry for her family that was moving so far away.

Her father chuckled and said, "Don't worry about me, worry about yourselves."

And Alyanna knew what was coming next. "Winter is coming," she said, at the same time as her father.

Ned Stark pulled out of the embrace and looked fondly at his eldest daughter. He put his hand on her cheek and said, "Yes my girl, you have learned well. You remind me so much of my sister."

"Father…" Alyanna did not know what to say. Her father rarely mentioned his sister, the pain too much for him to bear.

"She wanted to learn to use the bow and arrow as well," Ned continued. "Perhaps if my father had let her, her fate would have turned out differently."

Alyanna bowed her head, remembering what Torrhen said about her not being a killer, "I hope I never have to use it."

"Nor do I, but I feel better knowing you can. Go, say goodbye to your sisters."

Looking over her shoulder, Alyanna could see her sisters heading towards her family's cart, with guards carrying their luggage behind them. Arya immediately ran away from the group, attempting to chase down her direwolf, Nymeria, who had found a large puddle to play in. The direwolf was as wild as she was.

"She's so embarrassing," Sansa said when Alyanna reached her.

"I think she's entertaining," Alyanna commented. "Please try and get along, for Father's sake."

Sansa sighed, but did not agree to Alyanna's request.

"What if I gave you a present?" Alyanna continued.

Her sister's eyes lit up, "A present?"

"Yes, one for each of you."

Sansa held out her hand, but Alyanna explained that she wanted both Sansa and Arya to open their presents together.

"Arya!" Sansa called. Arya's head perked up but she made no move to join them since she had yet to reign in Nymeria.

Sensing her sister needed help, Alyanna whistled to get the direwolf's attention. "Nymeria, to me."

The wolf was reluctant, but obeyed and jogged over the Alyanna and Sansa. Arya followed.

"Aly has a present for us," Sansa hissed, angry her sister wouldn't listen to her.

"Really? But I already packed, I don't want to pack again!" Arya exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Alyanna said, "this isn't something you have to pack." She lifted Arya up and sat her on the edge of the cart, so she was of a similar height to Alyanna and Sansa. Then, she took the three little boxes out of her pocket and held them in front of her sisters.

"Why are there three?" Arya asked.

"I got myself one too," Alyanna smiled.

She handed one box to each sister and they all opened them together. Inside each box was a silver bracelet with the word "Stark" and a direwolf on it.

"Thank you," Sansa blushed, ever the lady. "It's beautiful."

"It's sort of girly," Arya commented, not taking the bracelet out of the box.

"Then wear it around your ankle," Alyanna said. "This bracelet is for you, to remind you of whom you are and where you are from. We are all Starks of Winterfell, no matter how different we are. I don't know what your lives will be like in King's Landing or what mine will be in Karhold, but I wanted us to have a reminder of each other and of our home."

"Oh," Arya took the bracelet and fastened it around her ankle. "Thank you."

Sansa fiercely hugged Alyanna and even pulled a grumbling Arya into the embrace. Alyanna loved her sisters, both were so different and yet so amazing in their own ways.

"I'm going to miss you," Arya admitted and Alyanna expected that she did not hate the hug as much as she pretended to.

"I'll miss you too, both of you." Alyanna wasn't even sure when she would see her sisters next. Then and there she made a silent promise to do everything she could to see her sisters when she had the chance. She did not care where she was, Karhold or anywhere, if her sisters ever returned home, she would be there to meet them.

"Come, come," interrupted Septa Mordane, "into the cart girls, it's almost time to leave."

Sansa and Arya thanked Alyanna once more before climbing into the cart. Alyanna waved goodbye, there was still one more person she had to see.

"Farewell Snow."

"And you, Stark."

"Aww," Alyanna teased as she saw her brothers embrace. Her brothers had stopped showing such affection towards each other as they had gotten older, Alyanna was glad to see it again.

Robb blushed and nodded towards Jon before walking away.

"I thought you were going to come and find me," Alyanna chastised.

"I haven't left yet."

"But you are leaving."

"Yes," Jon bowed his head.

Alyanna put and hand on his shoulder, "Then I wish you the best of luck. Try not to forget us while you're gone."

Jon pulled her into a hug, "I don't think I ever could."

All too soon, the courtyard was empty. Alyanna's heart felt heavier with every minute her family traveled further away from her. She stood atop the parapets and watched the mass of people travel down the King's Road and allowed one tear to fall.

* * *

Weeks had passed since her family left Winterfell with the King, but not much had changed. Bran was still sleeping, the direwolves still howled at night, and her mother was practically a ghost. Alyanna seemed to grow angrier with her mother each day. Bran was not her only child, Rickon was lost without his mother and father, and Robb and she were doing the best they could but we're just barely getting by without their parent's help. Alyanna vowed that she would never abandon her family as her mother had, no matter her own suffering.

"I'm glad you're here," Robb told her as they sat at their father's desk one evening, answering letters.

"Me too," Alyanna smiled at her brother.

"No, truly," Robb continued, "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

Robb only ever made himself this vulnerable in front of Alyanna. He would have no one to open up to once she was gone, and that worried her. Before she could reply, Rickon rushed into the room.

"The wolves are howling again," the little boy complained. The nightly howling of the wolves affected the people around Winterfell in different ways, but most of the people were either unnerved, saddened, or disturbed. Rickon was one of the people who were saddened by the direwolves. Alyanna wasn't sure whether it was because everything in his life started changing when the direwolves started howling or because he missed Shaggydog. The direwolves were rarely allowed inside anymore, growing more unpredictable and restless as of late.

Robb and Alyanna shared a worried glance before standing and walking around the desk. Robb picked up Rickon to carry him to his room and Alyanna followed.

"I think it's time for bed," Alyanna said, rubbing her little brother's back as he leaned his head on Robb's shoulder.

The poor boy was exhausted, Rickon spent most of his time running away from his nurse maids and searching for Robb or Alyanna. He didn't understand why his father and sisters left, or why Bran was sleeping so much, or why his mother was acting so differently. Alyanna felt a deep sorrow for her baby brother, but did not know how to help him. They needed their mother now more than ever.

When they reached Rickon's room Robb handed Rickon to Alyanna. "I'm going to check on Mother and Bran."

Alyanna took Rickon into his room as Robb continued down the hallway. Setting her sleepy brother on his bed, she took off his little boots before tucking him under the covers. Rickon used to argue when his mother was not the one tucking him into bed, but now he had gotten used to Alyanna or Robb putting him to sleep at night.

"Aly?" Rickon asked, his eyes barely able to stay open.

"Yes, little wolf?"

"Will you fall asleep with me?"

Alyanna smiled down sadly at her brother, perhaps he had trouble sleeping lately too. "Of course."

She scooted Rickon over to make room for her on the bed and then lay down next to him. She ran a hand through his hair and hummed a song that Sansa often liked to sing. Her voice was not as beautiful as Sansa's, but she could at least hum. The song was interrupted however, by a crashing noise coming from a few rooms away. Alyanna sat up in bed, listening, while Rickon slept beside her. When she heard her mother's scream, Alyanna leaped to her feet and darted down the hallway as an image flashed in her mind: Bran, lying in bed, with blood on his throat and a gash on his neck.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to review! Anyone who reviews is allowed to ask me whatever question about the story they want and I have too answer truthfully.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: I have a huge research paper due in a week, so either I will update again really quickly because I'm procrastinating, or I'll take longer than usual to update because I'm being a good student for once… only time will tell. Also, I changed some of the details from Bran's fall and made it more similar to how he fell in the books, you have been warned.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, you'll have to read this chapter to find out… I will say that the image of Bran with his throat slit is from Alyanna remembering her dream, not her actually seeing it in real life. In the books, the Stark children (not just Bran) have dreams that can hint toward future events – so Alyanna's dream/nightmare was a warning of the attempt to kill Bran, whether Bran lives or not depends partly on Alyanna's actions in this chapter.**

 **ESO: Sorry to disappoint, but I wasn't really planning on Theon/Alyanna or Theon/Sansa. I'm not a huge fan of Theon in the earlier seasons, and I only really like him now because his story is so interesting and he therefore makes the show so much more interesting. I hope you like the Alyanna/Torrhen pairing though.**

 **MaisieWilliamsFangirl: Thanks! I'm so glad to hear you like the story, and you don't think Alyanna's an Arya clone, I tried pretty hard to make her unique.**

 **TimeLadyWinchesterat221B: Hope you didn't have to wait too long! …and I love your name by the way (:**

* * *

 **Catelyn**

The air had gotten colder, telling Catelyn that it was past nightfall. The cold air made every breath visible as Catelyn watched each puff of air that escaped from Bran's lips. Those breaths of air, along with the rise and fall of his chest and the occasional flicker of his eye lids assured Catelyn that her son was still alive.

She was not sure how long she had been watching him breathe. Long enough that her sense of time was distorted and at points it felt like minutes passed in between each breath he took, when it truth it was only seconds. Those moments were the worst, when she was sure she had just seen her son take his last breath, but then his chest would deflate and another cloud of air would emerge.

The creak of the door caught Catelyn's attention; she did not like people disturbing Bran. Her little boy needed his rest. It was only Maester Luwin, but even his presence did not bring her comfort as of late. She did not like the news he gave her, about Bran's sleeping or Bran's legs. She wanted him to leave her alone. She wanted everyone to leave her and Bran alone.

"It's time we reviewed the accounts, my Lady. You'll want to know how much this royal visit has cost us."

 _Leave us alone_. "Talk to Poole about it."

"Poole went south with Lord Stark, my Lady." Maester Luwin began.

Of course Ned took Poole with him; it wasn't enough that he took her other children.

The Maester kept talking, "We need a new steward, and there are several other appointments that require our immediate attention."

She was frustrated now. Couldn't he see how much Bran needed her?

"I don't care about appointments!" Catelyn raised her voice.

"I'll make the appointments," Robb spoke from the door. Catelyn hadn't heard him enter. "We'll talk about it first thing in the morning."

"Very good, my Lord," The Maester said. Catelyn did not acknowledge him when he exited the room.

She heard Robb walking, but did not look up. Catelyn did not want her son to see her like this, he wouldn't understand. The sound of the direwolves howling told her that Robb had opened the window. Robb and Alyanna thought that the direwolves made Bran stronger; her eldest children were still too young to know much about the world. It was her that kept Bran alive. She knew the Mother was too merciful to kill a child when his mother was watching over him.

Robb started speaking, "When was the last time you left this room?"

"I have to take care of him." The answer was obvious.

"He's not going to die, Mother. Maester Luwin says the most dangerous time has passed."

"What if he's wrong? Bran needs me." The Maester did not know, only the gods knew.

"Rickon needs you. He's six. He doesn't know what's happening. He follows me around all day, clutching my leg, crying…"

"Have your sister take care of him." Catelyn did feel guilty about abandoning Rickon, but Bran needed her more. Alyanna was more that capable of taking care of Rickon and she needed practice if she was to be a mother soon.

Robb ran a hand through his hair, "She is! Alyanna has taken on all of your responsibilities and it's not fair to her."

The direwolves' kept howling and barking outside, the sound was driving Catelyn mad. She could not concentrate on anything except for the breaths leaving Bran's lips and the sound of the wolves howling outside.

"Close the windows! I can't stand it! Please make them stop!" Catelyn begged.

"Fire," Robb whispered. Catelyn looked up and saw her son staring out the window. Robb backed away and rushed out of the room, "You stay here. I'll come back."

Catelyn did not want to leave Bran's side, but she had to know how close the fire was, so she stood and moved towards the window. She had to know if the fire was a threat to Bran. Little did she know, Catelyn was looking in the wrong direction for danger. As she looked out the window, a man entered the room behind her.

"You're not supposed to be here. No one is supposed to be here." The strange man said in a cold voice. Catelyn was facing him now. She knew the face and most of the names of everyone who worked and lived in Winterfell, and this man she had never seen before in her life. But it was a face she would never forget.

The man glanced to his left and Catelyn followed his gaze. He was looking at Bran. "It's a mercy. He's dead already." It only took her a moment to realize he was talking about her son, her sweet boy who was asleep on his bed.

The stranger drew a long knife and before Catelyn could think, she rushed towards the man with her hands out in front of her. "No!" She screamed and for the first time since Bran's fall, there was some fight in her.

The man backhanded her and she flew onto the bed with a yell. She was only a Lady, but she was also a mother and she was going to fight for her son. So when the man pulled her up and brought his knife to her throat, Catelyn grabbed the knife with her bare hands and pushed back. If she lost her fingers, it would be well worth her son's life. When she could not stand the pain any longer and thought she might scream again, the man's arm was removed from her neck and she heard the man scream instead. Catelyn fell to the floor when the man let go of her and saw a sight she did not expect. Her eldest daughter, Alyanna, twisted the stranger's wrist and kicked him in the back, forcing him to let go of the knife and stumble forward. Now the knife was on the floor between the stranger and her daughter. The man dove to the ground, but Alyanna moved quicker than Catelyn had ever seen and kicked the knife under Bran's bed. Time slowed as the man lay on the floor beneath Alyanna and she pulled a dagger out from under her skirts. Catelyn held her breath as she waited for her daughter to kill the man that was after her brother, but Alyanna hesitated and the man noticed. He grabbed her legs and pulled Alyanna down to the ground with him. Catelyn still hadn't moved. She should move, she should help her daughter. The man reached for the dagger still in Alyanna's hands and she reeled back and punched him in the face, splitting her knuckles in the process. The man was dazed and stumbled back, but found his feet and stood at the same time Alyanna did. Alyanna tightened her grip on the dagger and held her ground. The man lunged for Alyanna again when a growl filled the air and a streak of grey jumped straight at the man. The man was screaming as a direwolf ripped at his throat, and soon the man could scream no more.

The direwolf was Bran's she realized, as she watched the wolf jump on the bed and nuzzle Bran before laying at her son's feet. The dangerous man lay dead beside the bed, with his throat ripped open and blood splattered all around him.

Catelyn heard a whimper next to her and saw Alyanna on the floor with two direwolves at her side. Her daughter's fists reminded Catelyn of the heart tree in the godswood, her knuckles were white, she was still gripping the dagger tightly in her hand, and blood ran down the cracks between her fingers, only to be licked up by her direwolf. The other wolf beside her, Grey Wind, met Catelyn's eye before standing and running out of the room. Catelyn had never been more grateful for the direwolves, perhaps Ned was wise in letting her children keep them as pets.

Still shocked at what just happened, Catelyn remained kneeling by Bran's bed and watched her children. Bran was still breathing, the wolf he never got to name keeping him safe, and Alyanna kept staring at the floor, her dagger still in her hand. Her brows were drawn together like she was thinking, but Alyanna must not have been too distracted since she was the first to hear the footsteps racing towards the door. Alyanna jumped to her feet, breathing heavily, and thrust the dagger out in front of her.

"Woah!" Robb yelled, turning the corner and coming face to face with a blade. Torrhen Cassel and Grey Wind were not far behind Robb.

Catelyn watched both men as they analyzed the room before them: Bran sleeping with his wolf, Catelyn and Alyanna with bloody hands, and the man with the ripped throat dead on the floor. Alyanna still hadn't lowered the knife or moved to allow her brother and the Captain of the Guard to enter the room.

"Hey, hey," said Torrhen, coming to his senses first. The man was young, but Ned told her he was good in a crisis. He was talking to her daughter then, as he put a hand on her wrist. "Let's put that away, huh? You won't need that anymore." His voice was calm and gentle when he spoke to Alyanna.

Alyanna slowly lowered her wrist under Torrhen's guidance and stepped away from the door, making room for Robb to enter.

"What happened?" Robb asked as he kneeled in front of Catelyn, but she was still watching Alyanna and Torrhen. The Captain was rubbing her daughter's arms and whispering something in her ear. Alyanna looked much calmer than she had just minutes ago. Robb saw what she was looking at and gave Torrhen an order, "Torrhen, gather some men and search the castle, see who knows this man and if he had any accomplices. Send two more here: one to guard the door and another to guard the stairs."

Torrhen only hesitated for a moment before bowing and leaving the room, but not before he gave Alyanna's arms one last squeeze.

A laugh was heard from the door way and Robb, Alyanna, and Catelyn turned their heads to see Theon walking into the room, "What did I miss?"

* * *

 **Alyanna**

"Hey! Slow down!" Torrhen called from behind her.

Two days had passed since the attack on Bran's life and Alyanna had no intention on slowing down. After taking the time to make sure her brother and mother were alright, Alyanna wanted answers. Torrhen asked around the keep, but no one knew who the man was. Due to his foul smell, it was assumed that he had been hiding in the stables. Many stalls were empty after the royal party left, so he could have hidden there easily enough. _But why kill Bran?_ _He's just a boy._ Alyanna just knew it had something to do with his fall. She always doubted Bran fell; Bran never fell, not even in rain or snow. So Alyanna was going to the source. She was going to the broken tower where she found Bran's body.

She heard footsteps behind her. Torrhen had hardly left her alone since the attack two nights ago. He was worried about her, but he didn't need to be. Alyanna could take care of herself and her family, and that's what she was doing.

"Don't do this to yourself," he told her. Alyanna didn't have to tell him where she was going, he was smart enough to know. There was only one thing on this side of Winterfell that could be of importance.

Alyanna slowed enough for Torrhen to catch up as she reached the broken tower. She remembered how Torrhen and she found Bran. He was crumpled up on the ground, with his legs twisted and blood pooling from behind his hips. Quick Silver was howling and Bran's direwolf was whimpering. Then Alyanna remembered her dream, where Bran's throat was slit. She was not one for superstitions or mystical beliefs, but her dream scared her even more now. The strange man had been there to cut Brans throat, but had died with his own ripped open. Pushing images of Bran out of her mind, Alyanna stood beneath the tower and looked up at its stone walls.

"You used to follow Bran when he climbed, right?" Alyanna asked Torrhen.

Torrhen nodded, "Yes, your mother asked me and the other guards to chase Bran down from the towers when we saw him climbing."

"Tell me about it." Alyanna asked. She did not often see Bran climbing. Bran bragged about it enough, but he never told her everything. He enjoyed knowing things no one else did, climbing gave him a point of view that he only had to share with the birds.

"Well," Torrhen started, looking at the tower and thinking of where to start, "Bran wouldn't have climbed straight up the tower." Torrhen placed a hand on the tower and shook a loose stone. "The stones are too loose at the base of the tower."

"So how does he get to the top of the tower then?" Alyanna asked.

"He starts in the godswood, climbs up one of the larger sentinels to get onto the roof of the keep," Torrhen gestured in the direction of the godswood. "Then he usually runs over the armory and guard's hall, that's when I usually first saw him. That took him to the First Keep where he'd run across the roof to the broken tower and begin climbing the tower where the stones are more firm."

The First Keep was the oldest building in Winterfell and no one lived in there anymore, it was practically abandoned. As Alyanna stood where Bran had fallen she realized that she was standing closer to the First Keep than the broken tower.

"Aly?" Torrhen asked when she didn't speak.

"What if Bran didn't fall from the tower?" Alyanna abruptly asked, turning away from the tower and facing Torrhen. "We all assumed he fell from the tower, but what if he didn't make it that far? What if we've been looking for clues in the wrong place?" Alyanna grabbed Torrhen's shoulders and guided him so he was standing where they found Bran. "Wait here," she told him before running towards the entrance to the First Keep.

The door to the First Keep opened easier than Alyanna thought it would, the keep was abandoned, but that didn't mean that people did not sneak in occasionally. Alyanna had snuck in plenty of times with her brothers when she was little; they were looking for the ghost that Old Nan told them lived in the keep.

It took her a couple of tries to find the right window, but eventually Alyanna reached the window that stood right above Torrhen. Surveying the room, she did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Frustrated with her lack of answers, Alyanna placed her hands on the windowsill and looked out the window. She could see far across the surrounding lands from here, and it was almost enough to help her forget her problems. The North was so vast, and she was so small.

"Did you find anything?" Torrhen yelled up at her.

"No," Alyanna sighed, removing her hands from the ledge and standing up straight. She sighed again when she felt the dust on her left hand and was about to wipe her hands off on her dress when she realized her right hand did not feel as dirty as her left. Looking at her hands, Alyanna noted that only her left was covered in dust.

"Wait…" Alyanna said, not loud enough for Torrhen to hear. She looked from her hands to the windowsill.

"Wait," Alyanna repeated, this time louder. There were footprints on the right side of the windowsill, some were scuffed and some were ruined from her hand, but they were definitely there and they were small enough to be Bran's.

"What is it?" Torrhen asked.

"Footprints." Alyanna said in disbelief. "Bran stood here before he fell."

 _No, he didn't fall_ , she told herself. _Bran never fell_. And now that Alyanna knew he was standing at the window, she had proof that he was pushed. Bran was the only one able of climbing and reaching the places he did, so no one thought it possible for someone to have knocked him down. No one would have been able to get to him. But now that she knew Bran was at the window, she knew it was possible for someone to reach him.

Alyanna turned away from the window and surveyed the room around her again. What drew Bran's attention to this room? And what did he do that could possibly warrant the murder of a child? Unable to stand any longer, Alyanna sat on the floor with her back leaning against the wall. Finding Bran after his fall was hard enough, but now knowing that he was in fact pushed… Alyanna had trouble wrapping her mind around the thought. Bran's fall was not an accident, someone had meant to kill him, twice, and she did not know why. Bran was just a child, her little brother, and he did not deserve this.

There were voices in the hallway not too far from the room she was in, but Alyanna was not worried. Torrhen had been outside by the entrance to the First Keep and he wouldn't let anyone dangerous enter the building when he knew Alyanna was in there alone. The voices drew closer and their words became clearer.

"Alyanna had the same idea, my Lady," said a deep voice that could only be Torrhen. "Only, she's found proof he was pushed from the First Keep, not the broken tower."

"What proof?" This time, she heard a woman's voice and judging by the slightly raspy tone, Alyanna guessed the woman was her mother. Well, that and Torrhen had called her 'my Lady'.

Alyanna stood quickly and brushed the dirt off her dress before her mother could see her. Her mother had already seen Alyanna show a moment of weakness when the man attacked Bran, and it almost cost Bran his life; she did not want her mother to see her weak again.

"Bran's footprints," Alyanna answered for Torrhen, when he and Lady Catelyn entered the room. "On the windowsill," she gestured to the window beside her.

She took a step towards Torrhen and stood with him in the middle of the room while her mother studied the ledge under the window. Her mother tensed and traced her fingers along what Alyanna could only guess were Bran's footprints before turning away from the window. Catelyn observed the entire room and knelt in a bare spot on the floor that had been cleared of debris. Alyanna noticed her mother's hands were still bandaged. The man that had been after Bran's life managed to severely wound Catelyn's hands before Alyanna arrived and ripped him off of her mother. But the damage was done, and her mother would never fully regain the use of her hands. The fingers were awkward and had trouble opening and closing. Those same fingers were now running along the stone floors; Alyanna did not know what she was looking for, in fact, she wasn't sure her mother was even knew what she was looking for. Her mother found something though, and managed to lift it off the floor with her damaged fingers.

"What is it, my Lady?" Torrhen asked from beside Alyanna.

Catelyn stood up from the floor with a determined look on her face. "Call a meeting in the godswood, but be discrete. Only us, Robb, Maester Luwin, Theon, and Ser Rodrik must know of it."

"Right away, my Lady." Torrhen bowed before turning on his heel and leaving the room to fulfil Lady Catelyn's request.

Just before nightfall, Lady Catelyn's meeting began in the godswood underneath the heart tree. Alyanna did not know if her mother called the meeting here because it would be more private, or if she wanted the gods to hear. The first reason was the most likely, since her mother believed in the new gods and the godswood was home to the old gods.

"What I am about to tell you must remain between us," her mother began. No one knew the exact reason the meeting was called, but they each had their suspicions. "I don't think Bran fell from that tower. I think he was thrown."

"The boy was always sure-footed before," Maester whispered in Ser Rodrik's direction. Most of the people here did not believe Bran fell, they had all seen him climb almost every day for the past three years.

Her mother made eye contact with everyone in the group as she spoke, "Someone tried to kill him twice. Why? Why murder an innocent child? Unless he saw something he wasn't meant to see."

"Saw what, my Lady?" Theon asked, sounding surprisingly concerned. Theon laughed too much, often at inappropriate things, as was cocky and selfish, but he was not heartless. Alyanna knew she never gave Theon enough credit, that he could be concerned and caring at times, she just never liked to admit it.

"I don't know," Catelyn answered. They had found evidence that someone had been with Bran when he fell, but they were not able to figure out what Bran saw. "But I would stake my life the Lannisters are involved." That was another piece of evidence, this time found by her mother: a long golden hair. "We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the crown."

"Did you notice the dagger the killer used? It's too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, the handle dragonbone. Someone gave it to him."

Alyanna could feel Robb tense more and more beside her with every word that was said. He was trying so hard to fill Father's shoes, to protect his family, and Alyanna knew Robb thought he was failing. Alyanna also knew that Robb wasn't judging himself fairly.

"They come into our home and try to murder my brother… If it's war they want…" Robb spoke, with his voice tight and his brows drawn together. He did not sound confident, like he was not sure how to fix the situation, but he thought fighting was the only option. War did not sound like the right path just yet, especially when her own brother seemed unsure. If Winterfell was going to go to war, they had to be absolutely certain it was the right thing to do.

"If it comes to that, you know I'll stand beside you." _Of course you would_ , Alyanna thought, _it's your job_. As ward of Winterfell, Theon had to do whatever the Lord of Winterfell asked of him. Still, Alyanna berated herself for being so harsh on Theon again. Her brother trusted him, and that should be enough for her.

"What, is there going to be a battle in the godswood? Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth just yet. Lord Stark must be told of this." Alyanna was grateful for Maester Luwin's wisdom just then. She did not want a war to break out either.

"I don't trust a raven to carry these words," he mother said.

"I'll ride to King's Landing," Robb offered. Alyanna panicked, hoping her mother would say no. She needed Robb here with her. Who would be Lord of Winterfell if Robb was gone? Rickon?

"No." Catelyn answered quickly, allowing Alyanna to relax. "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I will go myself."

"Mother, you can't," Robb and Alyanna spoke at the same time. They turned to each other with looks of surprise; it's been years since the two of them had spoken in unison.

"I must," Catelyn insisted.

"I'll form a squad of guardsmen to escort you," Torrhen spoke for the first time. Alyanna glared at him for agreeing with her mother's plans, and for offering himself to escort her. Though she knew it wasn't fair for her to be angry with him, his loyalties were to her family, and she trusted him more than most to protect them.

Catelyn shook her head, "Too large a party attracts unwanted attention. I don't want the Lannisters to know I'm coming."

"Let someone accompany you at least. The Kingsroad can be a dangerous place." Torrhen insisted. Like Robb, he was trying hard to fill his father's shoes. He did not want to fail by letting one of the Starks fall to harm.

"Ser Rodrick can escort me, Robb and Alyanna need you here," She said to Torrhen, while flicking her gaze between Torrhen and Alyanna.

"What about Bran?" Robb asked, trying to find reasons for their mother to stay behind. Alyanna will admit that she found it strange to see her mother outside of Bran's room after she refused to leave his side for so long.

Her mother took a deep breath and Alyanna could tell that the decision to leave Bran weighed heavily on her mother's heart. "I have prayed to the Seven for more than a month. Bran's life is in their hands now."

Silence overcame the small group as they all looked at Lady Catelyn before them. A soft breeze floated through the godswood and rustled the leaves on the trees. One of the red leaves from the heart tree fell from the branches above their heads and slowly fell in front of Alyanna. She held out her hand, allowing the leaf to float into her palm. Looking down at the leaf, Alyanna noticed it was as red as blood, and she hoped it was not a sign that more bloodshed was to come. Her hand closed around the leaf, so she would not have to look at the red any longer.

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 **A/N: Thanks to those who followed/favorited/reviewed. I hope some more of ya'll do that this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: I'm so sorry this update has taken so long - I had my research paper to write, and I also was just lacking motivation. It's a little shorter than usual, but I really just wanted to post something, and I should be posting another chapter soon. Hopefully my Tyrion POV is okay, he's not an easy character to write. I just thought it would be cool to get an outside POV on the twins and Torrhen.**

 **DCQ Gamecrasher: Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter, but I'm glad you liked the Torrhen/Aly moment 3**

* * *

 **Tyrion**

Winterfell, the largest castle in all the seven kingdoms… fitting, since the North was the largest kingdom. Tyrion was reminded daily just how large the North was, as he made his journey to the wall and back again. His stunted legs were sore from all the riding, but the country did have some beauty to it. A light snow had fallen last night, and all around him everything was white. One might think that the view might be boring, with only the color white to entertain the eyes, but the land was surprisingly pretty. The snow sparkled in the sunlight and made the North look almost peaceful, not wild and untamed like all the stories told. As much as Tyrion was enjoying the country, however, the sight of Winterfell before him made him glad. He was tired of traveling and would enjoy a warm bed to curl up in.

In the distance, Tyrion could see some riders emerge from underneath the drawbridge and approach him and his company. Tyrion had two of his own guards with him, along with Yoren, a man from the Night's Watch who was traveling south in search of new recruits. The riders drew closer and Torrhen could see the Boy Captain leading the group. When Tyrion was last in Winterfell, Jory Cassel had been head of the household guard, and now it seemed that Jory's son had taken his place.

The Boy Captain, Torrhen, stopped in front of Tyrion. "State your business," he commanded.

Tyrion gave the Captain an odd look, but Torrhen did not budge. Tyrion had been in Winterfell not too long ago, and had been welcomed handsomely. Perhaps the Stark's hospitality was out of respect for the King, and not for the Lannisters. The Starks and Lannisters had always had their differences, but they still played their roles and offered the proper courtesies. He was curious now, at how Winterfell was run with two boys at its head: The Boy Lord and the Boy Captain. Surely though, the Lady Catelyn would not allow such disgrace.

Tyrion decided to answer with a question of his own, "Where is the Lady Catelyn? I would much like to speak with her."

"My Lady Catelyn is indisposed. What is your business in Winterfell?" The boy was stubborn, but kept a calm demeanor. He was confident, Tyrion realized. And why shouldn't he be? Torrhen has an entire castle to back him up, while Tyrion only has two guards.

"We have traveled from the Wall. It was a long and tiring journey, and I would much like to sleep in a warm bed in the comfort of your castle tonight." Well, Tyrion would use his manners at least. Just because the Starks wanted to disgrace their own name, did not mean he would ruin his. His father barely liked him enough as it is, ruining the Lannister name would surely get him removed from said family.

"Follow me," Torrhen turned his horse around and his men encircled Tyrion's group as they headed for Winterfell.

Upon entering the castle, Tyrion noticed people staring at him, but no more than usual. He was a Lannister and a cripple, those two things always drew attention, especially when combined into one little man. Still, Tyrion kept his guard up. The Starks were treating him differently and he did not know why. Everyone dismounted their horses in the courtyard and some stable boys led them away to be fed and brushed.

"This way," Torrhen led the group in another direction, "Robb is waiting for you in the hall."

Tyrion walked beside Torrhen this time, studying the boy out of the corner of his eye. He stood tall, very tall, Tyrion realized, and walked calmly. Looking at the Boy Captain now, Tyrion thought he might have been wrong before. Torrhen wasn't calm because he was too confident; he was calm because he was just lucky. Some men were born lucky enough to not be bothered by much of anything. Torrhen seemed to be one of those men. He was calm, just because he was. Nothing seemed to worry him. Tyrion himself was worried by too many things; his mind was constantly turning and thinking. His father taught him to analyze every situation, and he **over** analyzed every one of them.

While passing the First Keep, Tyrion's attention was drawn away from Torrhen and to the graveyard beside them. The graveyard was ancient; he remembered reading that the Kings of Old had buried their most faithful servants there. Tyrion had thought the graveyard hadn't been used for centuries, but strangely enough a new grave had just been dug. There was an older man beside the grave, polishing the headstone and glancing wearily at the direwolves roaming in between the graves around him. Tyrion found it a rather curious sight; he wondered who was buried there.

"Lady, Sansa's direwolf." Torrhen said, and Tyrion wondered if the boy could read minds as well.

"Was she not with Sansa?" Tyrion asked. He had thought the two youngest Stark girls had taken their direwolves south with them. If their direwolves were anything like Jon's, they would not readily leave their master's side.

"Lady was killed," Torrhen began, clenching his jaw. _Ah_ , Tyrion thought, _maybe not always so calm_. "By order of the Queen."

 _Oh_. Now Tyrion knew why he was greeted with such hostility. The tensions between the Lannisters and the Starks had risen during his absence. His sister had killed an important member of the Stark clan, judging by where Lady was buried she was considered a part of the family. Tyrion knew he had better tread carefully. The paper in his pocket felt heavier suddenly and Tyrion hoped that paper could help mend the relationship with the Starks, at least a little. Or get him a warm bed, if nothing else.

Torrhen paused in front of the large double doors in front of them and two guards pushed them open. Tyrion waltzed into the room and Torrhen fell back behind him, taking his position along the back wall. Robb and his sister, Alyanna, sat in front of him with a pair of direwolves at their feet. Again, he wondered where Lady Stark was, but Tyrion thought it best not to ask.

"I must say, I received a slightly warmer welcome on my last visit." Tyrion was tired from his journey and angry with his treatment, it's not like **he** ordered the damn wolf to be killed.

Without missing a beat, Robb replied, "Any man of the Night's Watch is welcome at Winterfell."

"Any man of the Night's Watch, but not I, eh, boy?" Tyrion was right; the Lord of Winterfell was a boy. Tyrion wondered how well the North would fare under his rule. The men of the North were tough and they would not bow to just anyone.

"I am not your boy, Lannister. I am Lord of Winterfell while my father is away." Robb was not as calm as Torrhen when he spoke, he could see the tension in Robb's shoulders. His sister did not look very calm beside her brother either. The twins were similar in that aspect, letting their emotions get the best of them.

"Then you might learn a Lord's curtesy," Tyrion began, but stopped when he heard a door open behind him. Every pair of eyes in the room watched as a large man carried Brandon Stark into the room. The boy's legs were dangling uselessly in the giant's arms. "So it's true."

The giant started to approach the table where Robb and Alyanna sat, but Tyrion wanted to talk to the boy first. "Hello Bran," he said, causing the giant to pause and face Tyrion with Bran still in his arms. "Do you remember anything about what happened?"

"He has no memory of that day," Maester Luwin interjected from behind the table.

"Curious," Tyrion mumbled. He certainly remembered the strange behavior of his siblings the day after Bran's fall.

"Why are you here?" Robb asked. Tyrion could tell Robb was tired of the conversation.

And Tyrion was tired of talking to Robb, so instead he addressed Bran. "Would your charming companion be so kind as to kneel? My neck is beginning to hurt."

"Kneel, Hodor." Bran spoke for the first time since entering the room. The little boy's voice sounded… well, Tyrion couldn't find the right word, but it did not sound like a little boy. Bran had grown up, the fall had robbed him of the innocent joy so many children had. Tyrion hoped to help him. Tyrion did not care what family Bran was from, in a way Bran and Tyrion were family. They shared something that not many others understood.

"Do you like to ride, Bran?"

"Yes." Bran exclaimed, before correcting himself, "well, I mean, I did like to."

"The boy has lost the use of his legs." The Maester interjected again, as if Tyrion and everyone else in the room did not already know.

"What of it? With the right horse and saddle, even a cripple can ride."

"I'm not a cripple." The Stark's had always been stubborn; Tyrion supposed the North itself was rather cold and unmoving, mayhaps that's where the family inherited the frustrating trait.

"Then I'm not a dwarf. My father will rejoice to hear it. I have a gift for you." Tyrion reached into this cloak and revealed a rolled parchment, handing it to Bran. "Give that to your saddler, he'll provide the rest. You must shape the horse to the rider. Start with a yearling and teach it to respond to the reins and to the boy's voice." He addressed the latter part of his speech to those at the head table.

"Will I really be able to ride?" Bran was hesitant to ask, hesitant to hope.

"You will," Tyrion assured him, "on horseback you will be as tall as any of them."

"Is this some kind of trick? Why do you want to help him?" Robb spoke up again.

Tyrion answered truthfully, "I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things."

"You have done my brother a kindness," Robb said, "The hospitality of Winterfell is yours."

Before Robb could even finish speaking, Tyrion interrupted him, "Spare me your false courtesies, Lord Stark. There's a brothel outside your walls. There I'll find a bed and both of us can sleep easier."

The twins shared a glance, and Tyrion studied the both of them before leaving the hall. The brother and sister had shared many glances during the meeting, and Tyrion suspected that while Alyanna did not say anything, she had an influence over Robb and his decisions. Robb and Alyanna relied on each other, he realized, much like his own brother and sister. Yet, Tyrion suspected that the relationship between the Stark twins was very different than that of the Lannister twins. Robb and Alyanna were close, anyone could see that, but their relationship reminded him more of his own relationship with Jamie. Jamie was the strength, the protector, and Tyrion was often vastly underestimated. He suspected that the Stark twins had a much similar dynamic. Robb was strong up front, but Alyanna was his support underneath it all. She played the part of the Lady well, keeping silent in the hall and not objecting to her brother's decisions, but Tyrion could see how Robb looked to his sister each time before speaking. How the two communicated with only a look. The Stark twins were stronger together, but their separation would be their downfall.

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 **A/N: Thanks to those who followed/favorited/reviewed! Since reviews really are my inspiration, I want at least 3 reviews before I update next.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Here's another quick update! I think I like the shorter chapters but with quicker updates, what do y'all think? Hopefully this chapter isn't too confusing, there are a lot of flashbacks (in italics) but I figured that'd be easier than a bunch of disconnected scenes with huge time jumps between them.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: I'm glad you liked it! That's exactly what I wanted to accomplish with that last chapter.**

 **Lightningscar: Haha it was a happy accident then** **J** **Thanks for all the positive comments, they really mean a lot to me. I've definitely had issues in the past with making people** ** _too_** **perfect, so I've been trying really hard to make Aly** ** _not_** **perfect.**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

When Alyanna awoke that morning, the first thing she heard was the noise. It wasn't any specific noise, just the general hum of the castle that never quieted as of late. So many people filled the castle now, and with those people came lots of noise. The second thing she noticed was the warmth beside her, but when she turned around only Quick Silver was lying in her bed with her. Alyanna had half hoped that the warmth was _him_. They had only spent one night together, and not under the best circumstances, but she has woken up every morning since then missing his arms around her. Sighing, Alyanna forced herself out of bed and prepared for the day. Each day was becoming harder and harder for Alyanna. Her family's fortunes were fast running out.

 _Bran had woken up, sure, but he was not the same Bran she remembered. He was upset, and though Alyanna could understand why, she just wanted her brother back._

 _"Why did you tell Robb you'd rather be dead?"_

 _Bran only shrugged and looked down at his lap. He was currently sitting up in his bed and Alyanna was sitting beside him._

 _"I meant it," Bran insisted._

 _"Maybe now you do, but it won't always be this way."_

 _Bran looked skeptical._

 _"Did I ever tell you that when I was little I wanted to be a mermaid?" Alyanna began. "I dreamt every night of swimming in the oceans. I could go anywhere I wanted, east to Braavos and Pentos, or all the way south to Dorne. I bet they love mermaids in Dorne. I could even go further North if I wanted, swim around Bear Island in the Bay of Ice, mermaids don't get cold you see. I might even swim to the frozen shore past the wall and meet a wildling. What do you think?"_

 _"I think you don't have fins." Bran answered just as she thought he would._

 _"Exactly, I don't have fins. My legs don't work the way I want them to, and neither do yours."_

 _"But… there are still other things you can do." Bran protested._

 _Alyanna nodded her head, "Yes there are, and I discovered that when I let go of my old dream and started new ones."_

 _Bran nodded his head, finally understanding. When the corner of his mouth lifted in a sly smile, Alyanna started to see hints of her old brother._

 _"If you don't like your legs, I'll trade you." Bran giggled at his own joke._

 _"Good," Alyanna said as she kissed Bran's forehead and stood up from the bed, "keep that smile, and go easy on Robb. He's trying."_

 _Alyanna was about to leave the room when she heard Bran speak again behind her. "I know, he's Robb the Lord now, and he never smiles."_

 _"I know," Alyanna replied, turning slightly. She had been trying to get Robb to smile for days._

 _"You don't either," she heard Bran say as she exited the room._

Alyanna walked down the hall in one of her nicer dresses. Winterfell and winter town were full of strangers, and she could not afford to look unkempt. She had to demand the respect of these men, starting now, and if that meant putting more effort into her looks then so be it. Banners could be seen flying in every hall and courtyard of Winterfell, and Alyanna was never more thankful for her lessons with Maester Luwin. She passed a man with the mailed fist of the Glovers on his breastplate, another with the roaring giant of House Umber, and another holding a banner with the bull moose of Hornwood. House Hornwood had arrived just a couple of days ago. All of the Stark's bannermen were here now, all except for one house.

 _"I got a letter from Lord Karstark today," Robb sighed from beside her._

 _Alyanna looked up from the accounting sheets in front of her and tilted her head. She had almost forgotten she was engaged to Harrion Karstark. So much had happened lately, it had slipped from her memory. Or perhaps she just wanted to forget; her departure for Karhold had been so long delayed that it was easy to put it in the back of her mind._

 _Robb continued speaking to her, "He wants to know when the wedding will occur. I think he is becoming impatient."_

 _"Father must be here to marry me," Alyanna said, hopeful. She did not want to leave yet. Actually, Alyanna wasn't sure that she'd ever be ready to leave._

 _"No he doesn't, you know that. A letter of approval with his signature is enough."_

 _Alyanna sighed and nodded her head. Might as well just get this over with. "I guess I'll be marrying soon then."_

 _"I don't want you to leave," Robb put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "But Father gave his word, and it's up to us to maintain it."_

 _Alyanna only nodded her head, she did not want to give verbal affirmation and she did not want to agree. But she knew she would. Her mother and father had raised honorable children._

 _The door to the room suddenly burst open and Maester Luwin rushed into the solar. Alyanna was surprised by his behavior, the Maester always knocked._

 _"My Lord, my Lady," Maester Luwin said. His voice was hoarse and his breaths were shallow. Something was wrong._

 _"What is it?" Robb asked, reaching for the letter in the Maester's hand that Alyanna had not noticed until now._

 _"News," the Maester's voice was still hollow, "from King's Landing."_

 _Alyanna stood impatiently on the balls of her feet as Robb read the letter. Her brother's brow furrowed and his jaw was clenched tight. A million thoughts were running through her head, and none of them were good. Was her mother alright? Did she get caught visiting her father? Are Sansa and Arya okay? What if Arya attacked the prince again? As soon as Alyanna could tell that Robb had finished the letter, she snatched the parchment from his hands and began reading it herself._

Before even entering the great hall, Alyanna could hear all of the noise from inside. Behind the great oak doors she heard the clinking of glasses and the rowdy laughter of men. At least when the King's party visited there were plenty of women in the company. Now Winterfell was full of men and the only women to be found, besides those that already lived here, were either Mage Mormont and her daughter or the daughters of Lords that came along in hopes of marrying Robb. Alyanna wished Arya was here, she would like Mage and Dacey Mormont. Mage was Lady of Bear Island and gained rule of the Island when her brother Jorah was banished. Both Mage and Dacey wore battle armor and planned to fight beside Robb when the time came. Yes, Arya would like them very much. Alyanna enjoyed their company as well, but even if Mage and Dacey were eating breakfast in the hall, Alyanna did not have the patience this morning for the crowded tables and yelling of men. She missed the quiet mornings with her bow in her hands and the sun rising behind her.

Alyanna turned away from the great hall and headed for the kitchens instead. She would just get her breakfast there. The kitchen was crowded too, but at least everyone there ignored her. One man accidently bumped into a large vat of jam, and the bowl broke, spilling jam all over the floor. The strawberry jam was red on the floor and Alyanna was suddenly reminded of another sight: the red leaf in the godswood that fell on her hand. Alyanna had thought it was a sign of the bloodshed to come, and she was right. In fact, the first blood had already been spilt.

 _The sun was already setting when Maester Luwin had delivered the letter to Robb and her. Now night had fallen and the clouds were blocking the light from the moon. Robb had told her to wait until morning, but this couldn't wait. Alyanna had to tell him, it wasn't right to keep this from him, even for only a night. She approached the front door to a house that she had only been in a few times and hesitated before knocking on the door. She did not know what she was going to say. Eventually she knocked, though it took a couple of tries before he heard her._

 _Torrhen slowly opened the door while yawning. "Aly?" He squinted, not quite sure she was there in front of him. The night was dark and Alyanna could barely see his face, so she hoped that meant he couldn't see the tears on hers. Torrhen leaned on the doorframe and reached a hand out to her, "What are you doing here?"_

 _Alyanna couldn't answer him. Just the thought made her breath stop short._

 _"Are you crying?" Torrhen asked leaning closer to her face, suddenly serious. "What's happened?" He opened the door further and ushered her into the house._

 _Torrhen wiped a tear from her cheek and asked again, "What happened Aly?"_

 _She had to answer him, she knew it. Only, she did not want to break his heart. Still, she pushed onward. "There was a letter from King's Landing. J-Jamie Lannister attacked my father and…and eight of his men."_

 _"Is he alright?" Torrhen asked, moving his hands to rest on each of her shoulders._

 _"Ye-Yes, but all of his men were killed." Alyanna had to take a deep breath before her next sentence. "Jory…your father was one of…one of them."_

 _Torrhen hands squeezed her shoulders. "You're sure?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _She could feel his nails through the fabric of her dress. "How?"_

 _She was hoping he wouldn't ask. "The Kingslayer…he st-stabbed your father in the eye."_

 _Torrhen's hands were so tight on her shoulders, they were beginning to hurt her. "I'll kill him," Torrhen whispered. His voice had never sounded so empty. When Torrhen looked up at her, he must have seen her wince because he immediately let go of her and ran both of his hands through his hair._

 _"I'll kill him," Torrhen said louder this time._

 _He turned away from Alyanna and put both of his hands on the wall in front of him. His shoulders were tense and Alyanna could see his chest rising and falling as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down. Torrhen had never acted like this in front of her before and she had no idea what to do. When Torrhen's breath suddenly quickened and his head lowered, Alyanna could tell that he was holding back tears. Without thinking, Alyanna moved towards Torrhen and put her head between his hands, with her back against the wall. Torrhen was still looking at the ground. Alyanna put a hand on his cheek and lifted his head up to face hers._

 _"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here. Just let it go."_

 _Torrhen's eyes held such emotion that Alyanna could barely look into them. She could tell he wanted to cry, that he needed to cry. His father was murdered, just this one time Torrhen did not have to be strong, Alyanna would be strong for him._

 _"Just let it go," she said again, and he did._

 _All of a sudden, Torrhen was grabbing her and bringing her down to the ground with him. She kneeled beside Torrhen and ran her hands through his hair and rubbed his back while he cried. Eventually, the two of them made it to Torrhen's bed and they fell asleep together wrapped in each other's arms._

Tired of looking at the red, Alyanna left the kitchens and headed out into the courtyard. The courtyard was just as crowded as the rest of the castle, but at least there was fresh air. Stark bannermen were wandering the courtyards and she knew that even more were just outside the castle walls in winter town. At least now she would finally get to see what the town was like when it was full of people. There were almost 12000 men in Winterfell now, and all had traveled here under Robb's order. A war was coming, it was painfully obvious now.

 _"Treason? Sansa wrote this." Robb held Sansa's letter loosely in his hands._

 _"It is your sister's hand, but the Queen's words." The Maester was just saying what they were already thinking. Their father was in a jail cell, and Sansa was just as imprisoned, only her chains were invisible. "You and your sister are summoned to King's Landing to swear fealty to the new King."_

 _Alyanna snorted in amusement, not very lady like, but she didn't care at the moment._

 _Robb was angry now, "Joffery puts my father in chains and now he wants his ass kissed?"_

 _"This is a royal command my lord," Maester Luwin reluctantly pointed out. "If you should refuse to obey…"_

 _Alyanna looked at Robb to find him already looking back at her. She could see her own thoughts reflected in his eyes._

 _"We won't refuse," Alyanna responded._

 _"His Grace summons us to King's Landing, we'll go to King's Landing," Robb continued. "But not alone. Call the banners."_

 _Robb finally sounded confident, and Alyanna could see it in his eyes, he knew this was the right thing to do._

 _"All of them, My Lord?" Maester asked, though Alyanna thought he might be testing Robb._

 _"They've all sworn to defend my father, have they not?"_

 _"They have."_

 _"Now we see what their words are worth."_

 _The Maester exited the room to send out the ravens and Robb turned to face Alyanna and pulled her to him._

 _"We'll get them back," he told her._

 _"I know you will."_

All of the men around her were constant proof of Robb's intention to keep his promise to her. They were waiting on one last house to arrive at Winterfell, and then the march south would begin. A commotion was heard from outside the walls and Alyanna climbed up to the parapets so she could look out of Winterfell. As she stood above the crowds, on the outer walls of Winterfell, she saw them – the last banner men to arrive. Three hundred horsemen and two thousand men on foot carrying banners emblazoned with the white sunburst, the sigil of House Karstark. Harrion Karstark was sure to be in that company of men. Her future husband had just arrived.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Here we go, time to meet Harrion! For those who are worried about too much drama or a love triangle, don't worry… drama is not the main point of the story, and both Torrhen and Harrion have important roles to play in the story besides just being love interests. For those wondering, I imagine Harrion as Clive Standen, or more specifically his character Rollo. I was going to put links to pics of him on my profile but it's not cooperating with me at the moment… And as always, sorry for any mistakes.**

 **Pokessassin: haha you're right, it'll definitely kill you**

 **Lightningscar: Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately I did have to follow the script pretty closely for one scene, but Alyanna will start expressing herself more once she gains more confidence.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: I can't wait to see what you think of Harrion!**

 **TheRealTayler13: Hopefully this update was soon enough for ya ;)**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

 _The Sun of Winter._ Those were the Karstark words. Alyanna stared at the hundreds of white sunbursts waving in the wind on black banners. Her betrothed was somewhere in the sea of suns and she wondered if he was as nervous to meet her as she was to meet him. So much of her time was spent ignoring her upcoming wedding that Alyanna had failed to think about what she was going to do when she finally met Harrion Karstark. She was vastly unprepared. Although, she had also thought to meet him under very different circumstances. Alyanna had always assumed that she would be the one riding up to Karhold to meet her husband, but now he was riding to Winterfell with his father's entire host at his back. Harrion Karstark rode south-west, instead of her traveling north-east through great forests and across the Last River to Karhold on the Grey Cliffs by the Shining Sea.

The wind picked up and blew Alyanna's hair around her face as she stood upon the granite walls of Winterfell. The host was drawing closer and would reach the castle soon. Taking one last look at the Karstark army, Alyanna turned and used the steep stairs to climb down from the parapets. Quick Silver was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and Alyanna urged the direwolf along as she walked back to the Keep. She needed to find her brother; Robb and she would be expected to greet the Lords of Karhold when they arrived.

Robb was always easy to find when Grey Wind was with him, Alyanna just followed Quick Silver as the direwolf hunted down her brother. More than happy to let the nearly fully grown direwolf lead the way, Alyanna followed Quick Silver through the crowds of men. Man and horse alike moved aside and out of the direwolf's way, very few had gotten used to seeing a direwolf in their midst. Quick Silver eventually found Robb and Grey Wind, and just in time too. Robb was currently trying to fight off Lord Hornwood's attempts to marry his daughter off to him. Alyanna was constantly amused by Robb's interactions with his bannermen. Robb was young, and most Lords were testing him, trying to find out if he was a good leader and commander, but then the Lords would turn around and praise Robb and attempt to have him marry their daughters.

When Lord Hornwood saw Alyanna approaching, he turned from Robb and gave her a bow. "My Lady," he greeted. "You look lovely this morning. I wonder if the Lord Harrion knows what a lucky man he is."

Of course everyone knew of her betrothal to the heir to Karhold. Alyanna wondered if Lord Hornwood was one of the men who wrote her father, asking for her to marry one of his sons.

"We will find out soon enough," Alyanna said, trying to ignore the way her heartbeat increased when her betrothed was mentioned. "The Karstark host is approaching," she said to Robb this time.

"Right," Robb nodded, suddenly serious. He excused them from Lord Hornwood's company and put a hand on Alyanna's back as he lead her toward the stables. Robb and she had ridden out and greeted each approaching host themselves.

The stables were overflowing with horses and men, but the giant man was easy enough to spot. Hodor stood well above the crowd, even when hunched over cleaning stalls.

"Hodor," Robb called. "Go and fetch Bran."

Hodor replied with his usual response, "Hodor," before taking off to bring back Bran.

Robb and Alyanna saddled their own horses, and even had Bran's special saddle ready by the time Hodor returned carrying Bran. Hodor placed Bran into the saddle and Robb strapped him in securely.

"Is Alyanna's husband here?" Bran asked, towering above Robb and Alyanna who had yet to saddle their own horses.

Robb sent Alyanna a look before replying, "He's not her husband yet, but yes."

"We're ready to head out, My Lord. Whenever you are ready." Torrhen's voice came from behind Robb and Alyanna.

She and Robb both tensed, but each for different reasons. Robb did not like Torrhen calling him 'My Lord', the two boys had grown up together like brothers and Robb still had trouble accepting his role as Lord of Winterfell. Alyanna though it may be because if Robb truly was Lord of Winterfell, that would mean their father was gone, and neither of them was ready for that. Their father would be around for many years to come.

Alyanna was nervous that Torrhen had heard their talk of Alyanna's 'husband'. When Torrhen turned and walked away without meeting her eyes, she knew that he had heard. She wished that Torrhen did not have to ride out with them to greet the Karstarks, but it was his duty as head of the household guard.

After Robb and Alyanna saddled their horses, they rode out of the castle with Bran, Torrhen, Theon, and a few other guards. The men in winter town parted in the streets and made way for their Lord and Lady to ride past. Robb rode at the front of the column, with Alyanna in the place of honor at his right and Grey Wind and Quick Silver jogging in front of them. When the first bannermen were arriving, almost a month ago, Alyanna was hesitant when Robb first asked her to ride beside him, but now she felt like she was where she belonged.

The Karstark host was a giant mass of men and horses and swords in front of them, but Alyanna began to notice a smaller host of men parting from the group and making their way forward towards them. When her father had first told Alyanna of her engagement, he had mentioned that the Karstarks had the blood of the first men in their veins, but it was more than that. The Karstarks were direct descendants of the Starks. A thousand years ago, Karlon Stark built his own castle to the north-east and named it Karl's Hold. Karlon was the younger brother of a King of Winter and was rewarded land for his defeat of the Bolton rebellion. Eventually, Karl's Hold became Karhold and the Karhold Starks became the Karstarks.

As Alyanna watched the Karstarks approach, she thought that they did not look like Starks. The Karstarks were large, fierce men with thick beards and long brown hair. There were four men at the front of the party approaching her. The oldest was clearly Lord Rickard Karstark. His hair had turned white over the years, but she could still see evidence of his brown hair in his beard. Then there were his three sons riding beside him: Harrion, Eddard, and Torrhen Karstark. Alyanna would probably be able to figure out which son was the eldest if she looked closely, but Alyanna found it hard to look at them. One of those men was going to change her life forever and she wasn't sure if she was ready.

The two groups stopped a respectable distance from each other and dismounted their horses. Alyanna kept her eyes on the ground and she thought herself lucky that she was a Lady. Ladies were expected to be docile and quiet, much like how she was acting now. She did not need to be loud and confident like the Mormont women, she was here as Robb's support not his warrior.

Probably sensing his sister's discomfort, Robb held out his arm for her to take. Alyanna sent her twin a grateful smile as she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and leaned on him for a moment. Robb slowly lead her forward to meet the Karstarks. Having the courage to look up now, Alyanna noticed how Lord Karstark was sizing up Robb, much like the other Lords had done.

"Lord Karstark," Robb greeted, "Your men travel well. We had not expected you so soon."

"There's no time for delay in war," Lord Karstark replied, still staring down Robb, but Robb did not waver. He had been getting plenty of stares from other Lords over the past month. "I have the men you asked for, all ready to fight for Ned and your sisters' freedom… and I see you have the daughter that Ned promised to me."

All eyes shifted to Alyanna and she tried not to shift nervously under their gazes. Torrhen's stare felt the heaviest. Robb removed her hand from his arm and slowly pushed her forward.

"My Lord," Alyanna greeted as she curtsied in front of Lord Karstark.

"My Lady," Lord Karstark bowed. "May I present my heir, Harrion."

At his introduction, one of Lord Karstark's sons took a step forward towards Alyanna. His boots were very interesting, made of a material she had never seen before, but it looked similar to leather. She had heard that the Karstarks wore clothes from the pelts of bears, wolves, and seals. Alyanna wondered if his boots were made of seal's skin. She had never seen a real seal before.

Purposefully distracting herself with his boots, Alyanna was startled when she felt his larger hand around her own. Finally raising her eyes, Alyanna barely got a glance at his face before he said "My Lady" and bowed to kiss her hand. She could feel the roughness of his beard on the back of her hand.

When he rose again, Alyanna got her first good look at him. Alyanna was tall for a girl, but Harrion and the other Karstarks were taller and larger than the Starks. Even though they were hidden underneath his cloak, Alyanna could tell that he had wide shoulders. His brown hair contained a hint of gold and was almost as long as her hair. A thick beard covered much of his face, which Alyanna admitted was fairly handsome, in a rugged sort of way. All that, paired with the scar cutting through his eyebrow above his right eye gave Harrion a hard look. Harrion suddenly reminded Alyanna of winter, wild and untamable. Alyanna did not want a husband that was like the winter, she wanted someone who was warm and kind.

Realizing she was staring, Alyanna felt badly for acting so rude, until she noticed her betrothed was staring as well and her guilt lessened. When Alyanna lowered her eyes again, she noticed that her hand was still held in Harrion's. She quickly removed her hand and tried to say something, anything.

"It is nice to meet you at last…my Lord." Alyanna wasn't sure what to call him. Was she allowed to call him Harrion? The way he was towering above her made her afraid to say the wrong thing.

Harrion's hard face loosened when he smiled softly and replied, "And I as well, my Lady. The tales of your beauty do not do you justice."

"Tales of my beauty?" Alyanna asked, without thinking. Her eyes widened when she realized her mistake. She heard Robb and Theon snicker behind her.

Luckily, Harrion also seemed amused, as his smile widened and Alyanna thought that he didn't look nearly as intimidating as he had at first. Harrion had the sunburst on the breastplate of his armor and his family's words came to her mind again. _The Sun of Winter._ Perhaps Harrion himself was a sun of winter; cold on the outside but warm underneath. She certainly hoped so.

After the necessary introductions and formalities were complete, both parties returned to their horses and rode into Winterfell together. Harrion rode beside her, but Alyanna resorted back to her nervous habits and barely looked at him the entire ride back. Instead she turned her attentions to Bran, who was so excited to be riding outside the castle with the other men. It was easy to forget his legs were broken when he rode a horse just as well as the rest of them.

"That's your husband?" Bran whispered to her, but not quiet enough so that Harrion couldn't hear.

"Not yet, but one day," she told him, not bothering to whisper since she could already feel Harrion watching them.

"He's very tall," Bran still whispered. "Are you nervous?"

This time, Alyanna did quickly glance at Harrion before answering Bran. "Yes."

The group was met with welcoming cheers as they rode through winter town and into Winterfell. The final host had arrived and the journey to the South and to war could now begin. Lord Karstark yelled greetings to some of the other Lords as he rode past and Robb led them all to the stables. There, everyone parted ways. Servants showed the Karstarks to their rooms in the castle and Hodor took Bran away. Robb, and therefore Theon, was pulled away by some Lord, leaving only Torrhen and Alyanna. Alyanna opened her mouth to speak to him, but Torrhen turned on his heel and walked away from her before she could get a word out.

Sighing, Alyanna stood in the courtyard alone. _No, not alone_. Quick Silver nudged Alyanna's thigh with her nose, reminding Alyanna that she was never really alone. Alyanna rested a hand on the direwolf's head, no longer having to bend down to reach her, and headed for her own room. Tonight would be the last feast before Robb lead Winterfell's forces south.

In her rooms, Alyanna laid out her nicest dress to wear to the feast. There would be no occasion for such extravagances on the road and Alyanna figured she might as well make the best of her last night in Winterfell. Getting ready in her room alone, Alyanna suddenly felt the absence of her mother and sisters. She missed her mother styling her hair while Sansa fussed over her dress and Arya grumbled in the corner. Unable to tie her dress or finish her hair on her own, Alyanna was forced to ask the help of some of the handmaidens. She was fond of Rachelle and Tysa and she had known them since was a little girl, but it just wasn't the same.

Alyanna opened her bedroom door after she heard a knock and found Robb waiting for her.

He offered her his arm again, "Ready?"

"No."

Robb squeezed her hand that was holding his arm before leading her down the hallway and towards the great hall. The direwolves followed behind them. Now that Mother was gone, Robb and Alyanna took their direwolves everywhere they went. The wolves provided a sense of security and authority, reminding everyone in Winterfell that they may be young but they were _Starks_.

The feast was calmer this night; it seemed the men were temporarily sobered by the upcoming war. That did not stop Lord Umber from hounding Robb again. Robb sat at the head of the table while Alyanna sat to his right and Bran sat beside her. Lord Karstark and his sons sat to Robb's left. Robb had taken turns hosting each principle bannermen, just as Father taught him, and this night he was hosting the newest arrivals.

Lord Umber sat completely across the table from Robb and was once again trying to gain control of the Vanguard. "For 30 years I've been making corpses out of men, boy. I'm the man you want leading the Vanguard."

Robb, and Alyanna, had heard this argument many times before from many other Lords. Robb was young and the others were quick to judge him, but they were also eager to please him and prove themselves – it was an interesting dynamic.

"Galbart Glover will lead the Van," Robb asserted.

"The bloody Wall will melt before an Umber marches behind a Glover," Lord Umber insisted. Alyanna thought that stubbornness might be a trait shared by all of the North, and not just confined to her own family. "I will lead the Van, or I will take my men and march them home."

Now _that_ was a threat. Alyanna did not take threats to her family lightly, but she did not know what to say. She was just a Lady and she did not command the respect of these men like Robb did. So she just glared at Lord Umber while Robb spoke, her brother seemed pretty angry with the threat as well.

"You are welcome to do so, Lord Umber." Robb stood from his seat, drawing the attention of the two direwolves in the room. "And when I am done with the Lannisters I will march back North, root you out of your Keep, and hang you for an oathbreaker."

"Oathbreaker, is it?" Lord Umber raised his voice and stood as well, all of the men in the hall were watching them now. Some other men rose to their feet when Lord Umber threw his glass across the room. "I'll not sit here and swallow insults from a boy so green he pisses grass."

Lord Umber then reached for the knife at his hip and Alyanna stood with her hand hovering over her own knife. Before anyone could react, Grey Wind leapt onto the table and attacked a screaming Lord Umber. When Grey Wind moved away from Lord Umber, the man grumbled and slowly got to his feet.

Robb began speaking again, "My Lord Father taught me it was death to bare steel against your Liege Lord. Doubtless, the Greatjon only meant to cut my meat for me."

Lord Umber was holding his bloody hand when he kicked his stool over and replied, "Your meat…is bloody tough."

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the entire room broke out into laughter. They were all insane, mayhaps they would win this war after all.

Alyanna got no sleep that night after the feast. Robb had decided that they should leave during the night in order to get a head start before anyone knew of their movements. The moon was high in the sky, providing at least some light, as Alyanna and thousands of men sat atop their horses and left Winterfell. Her hair tickled her cheeks as the wind picked up and she was just barely able to make out something flying by her. Alyanna reached her hand out and plucked the leaf out of the air. It was another red leaf. She threw the leaf behind her and continued on her way. What were the gods trying to tell her? Of course there would be bloodshed…this was war.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We only got a brief look at Harrion, but you'll definitely be seeing more of him, if Alyanna can get over her stubborn desire to ignore him that is.. Also, next chapter you'll get a peek at Alyanna's kinda main storyline and the role she has to play in this war.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter! Now we're really getting started on Alyanna's storyline. I hope the time and POV jumps aren't too confusing.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: I'm glad you've noticed all the foreshadowing! I've put a lot of details into the earlier chapters that will probably make you sad when you realize what they're for in later chapters.**

 **Lightningscar: Yep, we've got two Torrhen's now.. Hopefully it won't get too confusing, but that detail definitely has an interesting role to play in the future.**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Traveling was slow, as would be expected when eighteen-thousand men were all traveling together. From atop her horse, Alyanna surveyed the Northern landscape around her. The walls of Lord Stark's solar were covered with maps, paintings, and illustrations of the North and ever since she was a little girl, Alyanna studied every map and picture hanging on the walls, imagining she was traveling her father's kingdom. Now, Alyanna actually was traveling across the North and there was so much for her to see.

The only thing the men around her ever talked about was war and strategy, but that held no interest for Alyanna. She had an urge for adventure, but not for war. That morning they had left behind the wolfswood and crossed the White River. She knew exactly where they were, she could picture the map in her mind, but Alyanna wanted more than that. She wanted to really _see_ the land she was crossing. She wanted to see the North without an army beside her, trampling the brush and dirtying the white snow.

 _To hell with it_ , Alyanna thought. She had her bow strapped to her back and Quick Silver by her side; she would be fine on her own for a while. Pulling on the reins, Alyanna guided her horse away from the marching column of northmen and ventured off on her own. That day Alyanna raced the White River south-east and watched a great brown bear fishing for salmon. The next day, Alyanna again left the column in the middle of the day and this time she found a heard of wild horses grazing peacefully until they caught Quick Silver's scent and fled. Every day Alyanna rode off into the wild with Quick Silver at her side. Grey Wind even joined them some days. Robb caught onto her sneaking away, but he did not try to stop her. A part of her wished that Robb could come with her, and the other part of her like going alone. There was no one watching her and waiting for her to mess up when she was alone. She didn't feel so pressured to be perfect.

A fortnight had passed since the Northern army had departed from Winterfell and a week since Alyanna and Quick Silver had taken to exploring the countryside on their own. Today, Alyanna had not ridden far, but instead relaxed on a large hill overlooking the Barrowlands. The North was an old land with a rich history, thus old graveyards could be found all over the countryside.

She did not know who was buried in the graves below her, or how long ago those people had lived, but just looking at the graves humbled her. The Starks had ruled over the North for thousands of years. That's thousands of generations of Starks, ruling over thousands of people, leading them through summers, winters, wars, and famines. Her family had survived this long and the graves assured Alyanna that her family would continue to thrive. The time of the Starks was not over yet. Her father and sisters were imprisoned, her mother's location was unknown, and Robb was riding to war, but Alyanna still had faith.

Finding the camp again was never hard for Alyanna. The large party left an easy trail to follow, and the men made lots of noise, especially in the late afternoon while they were making camp. The northmen were laughing and already drinking while they set up their tents and made dinner. The younger men were especially rowdy, all too excited to fight a war. Alyanna could not imagine that war was as glorified as all the stories made it seem, but she supposed that the younger men who had never seen war did not know any better. She had obviously never seen a war either, but she had seen the haunted look in her father's eyes and in the eyes of some of the older men here.

Having already dismounted her courser, Alyanna walked through the tents with Quick Silver at her side. She tried to greet all the men that she passed. Father always stressed getting to know your banner men. _"How can you expect your men to fight for you, when they don't even know you?" Lord Stark had asked Robb and her one day, long ago._ The Stark twins were young, but their parents had taught them well and Robb and Alyanna had taken their lessons to heart.

As she walked past the Karstark camp, she heard a voice call her name. Eddard and Torrhen Karstark were waving at her with mugs of ale in their hands. They were very different than the Eddard and Torrhen that she knew, but they were nice enough. As Harrion's younger brothers, they would be her brothers one day too she supposed. There were worse men for her to call her family.

"Celebrating a hard day's ride?" Alyanna teased the brothers. She found the younger Karstark boys easier to get along with than Harrion. Eddard and Torrhen were still large and grizzly, like all Karstarks, but they were not much taller than her and she did not feel as pressured to get along with them. With Harrion, she found herself afraid to say or do the wrong thing.

The two boys let out a hardy laugh. "Certainly!" Torrhen yelled.

"Join us!" Eddard insisted, thrusting a mug into her hands. Alyanna did not know where he got it from.

 _Why not?_ Alyanna thought as she toasted with the younger Karstark boys and took a pull from the mug. She found herself sitting around a campfire with Eddard and Torrhen, laughing and drinking ale. Before the war, Alyanna had never tried ale, but she found the taste quite appealing. It was heavier than wine, but did not taste quite as sour.

* * *

 **Harrion**

The Northern army was making good time; they were nearing Moat Cailin now and had to start deciding on a plan of attack. Robb had called all of his principle bannermen to a meeting after they had made camp and being heir of Karhold, Harrion was invited too. The meeting had run long through the late afternoon and up until nightfall. The sky was becoming dark and many camp fires could be seen throughout the camp as Harrion and his father made their way back to their own area of camp. He hoped that Eddard and Torrhen had prepared something for dinner like father had told them, but his brothers could be easily distracted. The smell of venison reassured him however.

Coming upon his brothers' camp fire, Harrion saw a sight he did not expect. A large buck was roasting over the fire, surrounded by merry men and his own brothers running amok, being bossed around by none other than Alyanna Stark, his wife-to-be.

Harrion had been worried when he first met her, she seemed too meek to handle the wild men of the North, but watching her now, Harrion thought that he may have underestimated her. She was a Stark after all.

"And what do we have here?" Lord Karstark drew everyone's attention when he spoke.

"We're preparing dinner, Father," Eddard explained.

"Where did you get the buck?" Harrion asked. He knew it would be hard to find game near such a large group of people.

"Alyanna shot it!" Torrhen piped up. "You should have seen it, Father. Her direwolf tracked and cornered the buck, and then Alyanna shot him right through the eye!"

"Ha!" Rickard Karstark laughed. "A woman who can hunt and control my sons. I should have asked you to marry my son long ago."

"You're marrying her to the wrong son, I think." Eddard said, wrapping an arm around Alyanna's shoulders and taking a drink from his mug.

To Harrion's surprise, Alyanna tipped Eddard's mug back, causing his brother to cough and spill ale down the front of his shirt. Harrion hated to admit it, but he was slightly jealous of his brothers. They had brought out a side of Alyanna that he had never seen before. Whenever Alyanna and he talked, it was mostly just formalities. He hardly knew anything about her at all, but whenever he learned something new, he found that he rather liked it. Harrion wanted to get to know his future wife. Most couples rarely had the chance to meet before their wedding, and he wanted to get to know his wife while he could. He did not want them to have a miserable marriage, Harrion would rather be friendly with his wife and maybe even love her one day. He wanted to open up and talk to her, but he did not know how. His father raised him to be a warrior and a leader, not a lover.

His brothers seemed to get along with Alyanna well enough and they even listened to her. Eddard and Torrhen barely even listened to their father. The Karstark men where known for being strong-willed, but it seemed that Alyanna might be stronger. After greeting Lord Karstark and himself, she returned to instructing Torrhen on rotating the spit and sending Eddard after some more fuel for the fire. Alyanna had even started talking to his father, showing him her bow and answering his questions about hunting. Harrion was left to watch them all. He could easily see how she would fit into his family, and though he did not know how she would fit into _his_ life, he would do his best to make sure she was happy there.

The deer was finished cooking now, and it did not escape Harrion's notice that she did not ask him for help like she did his brothers. Harrion wondered if it was because she was not comfortable giving instructions to him because he was to be her husband, and wives were taught to take orders and not give them.

Secretly not minding the extra work, Harrion removed his cloak and sat on a log beside the fire. Alyanna's wolf was also lying in front of the flames and seemed to be studying him. The she-wolf crawled closer and stretched her neck to sniff Harrion's hands that were clasped on his lap. Harrion smiled and ran a hand through the direwolf's fur behind her ears. He couldn't believe the Stark children had tamed these wolves.

"No!" Alyanna called from behind him. "…oh" She said, rounding the log to see Harrion and Quick Silver sitting peacefully together. "She, uh, she doesn't usually like strangers."

"Am I a stranger?" Harrion was only teasing her, but apparently he was not as good at it as his brothers.

"Oh, well…" Alyanna suddenly appeared nervous and Harrion felt guilty. He only wanted Alyanna to feel comfortable around him, but he seemed to cause the opposite.

"I'm only jesting," he quickly added. Harrion smiled softly, trying to further ease her mind. Thankfully, Alyanna sent him a small smile in return.

"Can I sit with you?" Alyanna asked quietly. Harrion berated himself for not offering first, and quickly scooted over to make room for her on the log beside him. He found it amusing that she only needed half as much space on the log as him, but it also worried him. Sometimes he thought that he might break her. They had yet to even kiss, but Harrion was only a man of five-and-twenty, and sometimes found himself thinking of Alyanna and him on their wedding night. He had been with women before, his father had bought him a damn whore for his fifteenth birthday, but the women in Karhold were much larger than Alyanna. He did not doubt that she was fit, especially since she could use a bow, but she was much leaner than the women he was used to. Still, he found himself looking forward to their wedding night, however far away it may be. Alyanna was a beautiful woman, and she might be small, but she was still strong.

Realizing his thoughts were very inappropriate, especially when Alyanna was sitting beside him, Harrion hurried to say something to distract himself. His hand was still scratching the area behind the direwolf's ear when he asked, "Is she full grown yet?" He had never seen a direwolf, and Quick Silver and Grey Wind were much larger than any hound or wolf he had seen.

Alyanna put a hand on Quick Silver's head as well, and he felt her fingers brush against his for a moment. "No, not yet. Robb says her mother was much larger still when he found her in the wolfswood."

Harrion nodded, trying to picture the direwolf growing even larger. "How did Robb find the direwolves?"

Alyanna smiled and told him the story. He made a mental note that talking about her family would always get her to smile.

Dinner was being served as Alyanna finished her story and he stood from his seat and offered her his hand, helping her to stand as well. Even her hand was small in his. Alyanna spoke mostly with his brothers during dinner, but Harrion found that he did not mind so much anymore. She had opened up to him today more than she had before, and he liked that she got on well with his family.

All too soon, dinner was over and Alyanna was heading back to her own tent for the night.

"Wait," Harrion called to her, "I'll walk with you."

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Harrion and she talked of nothing of importance on their walk to her tent, but she liked this much more than the usual 'my lady' and 'my lord' pleasantries they ordinarily gave each other. She did not find Harrion Karstark nearly as intimidating as she used to, though he still did make her nervous at times. Alyanna felt so pressured to make him happy and to be a good wife that she seemed to do the opposite. Tonight eased her nerves however, and she felt at least a friendship forming between the two of them.

"Goodnight, Harrion." Alyanna said when they reached the entrance to her tent.

"Goodnight, Lady Alyanna." Harrion seemed to hesitate for a moment before leaning down to Alyanna. She held hear breath as his face neared hers and he planted a soft kiss to her cheek. This was the first kiss he had given her that wasn't on her hand. Alyanna found that she was becoming fond of the tickle of his beard on her skin. And he was always much more gentle than she expected him to be.

Smiling to herself, she watched as Harrion turned and walked back to his own tent.

"I was going to ask where you've been all evening." Robb said from behind her, "but I think I know."

Robb's tent was right beside hers and he must have heard her returning. When Alyanna turned around, she saw Robb's head poking out of his tent. He opened the tent flap further and motioned for her to join him. Alyanna and Quick Silver entered the tent, the direwolf immediately finding a spot to lie on the floor beside her brother.

"How are you two…?" Robb trailed off, motioning toward where she was just standing with Harrion.

Alyanna nodded, understanding his question. "Good. He's…nice." In truth, Alyanna was learning that he was much more than that, but 'nice' summed him up well enough for now.

"Good," Robb echoed her. "I hope he can make you happy."

"Don't worry about me," Alyanna told her brother, swinging an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be fine."

"I know, but I still worry," Robb sighed. "Especially now that we are approaching the Neck…"

The Neck was the southernmost part of the North and was an endless black bog filled with quicksand and dense brush. They would have to travel through Moat Cailin and along the Kingsroad in order to make it through the Neck safely. So far, Robb had been avoiding the Kingsroad to make their movements harder to track, but they did not have much of a choice now. The Kingsroad was the only path across the Neck that could hold such a large number of men, horses, and wagons.

Robb kept speaking, "We're entering dangerous territory now, and I can't help but worry about you wandering off alone every day."

"Robb…" Alyanna tried to protest, but Robb held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm not asking you to stay with the company, I'm only asking you not to go alone. Take someone with you… Torrhen or Harrion."

Alyanna wanted to argue against it, but she realized it was useless. She knew she could not keep doing this forever, and she was just glad that today hadn't been her last day.

Less than a week later, Alyanna found herself roaming the bogs around Moat Cailin, now with a man beside her. She had chosen Torrhen to accompany her. At first, things were tense between them, but they had mended their friendship soon enough. Quick Silver had not been joining them lately, preferring the dry Kingsroad to the muddy swamp.

Alyanna and Torrhen were making their way back to Moat Cailin late one afternoon climbing the hills above the swamp. Robb had stopped in Moat Cailin for a few days to wait on more reinforcements and to see what move the Lannisters would make, if any. Jamie Lannister had begun fighting in Riverrrun, her mother's childhood home, but Tywin Lannister had yet to make a move.

Walking up one hill that stood above the camp, Alyanna grabbed Torrhen's arm and pulled him to a hault. He started to speak when she put a hand to his lips to keep him quiet.

A light snow had started to fall and was slowly covering up the tracks, but Alyanna could still spot the footprints in the mud. Alyanna slowly crept forward and Torrhen followed. Sure enough, when they reached the top of the hill, Alyanna could just make out a man lying on his stomach and surveying Robb's camp below them. He was not wearing any colors that she recognized, so he was not of the North. Torrhen did not see the man until Alyanna crept closer, but Alyanna could see him much better now and he appeared to be counting.

Before he would hear them, Alyanna kicked at the bush he was lying under and the man sat up immediately only to come face to face with an arrowhead.

"How high did you get?" Alyanna asked.

* * *

 **Catelyn**

Moat Caillin was the last place she expected to be when she left the Eyrie on a merchant's ship, but when she landed in White Harbor and heard that Robb was marching to war, she knew she had to meet him on the road. Robb was seventeen now, having his last name day while she was gone, but she still thought of him as her little boy who liked to hold her hand when he walked with her in the godswood. She thought that he might need her to hold his hand now too. Not only was Robb marching to war, but she had heard word around the camp that her eldest daughter was here as well. She did not know if it was Robb's or Lord Karstark's doing, but she did not like the thought of her daughter at an army camp. Thankfully, Robb seemed to be keeping her out of his war meetings at least.

She was sitting now around a table with Robb and his most trusted men, trying to decide their next move. Ser Rodrick and her uncle, Brynden 'the Blackfish' Tully, were standing behind her. She had ridden to Moat Cailin from White Harbor with these two men. Ser Rodrick was Torrhen Cassel's great-uncle and master-at-arms of Winterfell and Robb had already asked the Blackfish to lead the outriders. The outriders would ride ahead of Robb's army and screen any and all enemy movements, as well as sabotage enemy communications and fight off Lannister scouts.

"So what's it going to be? Do we move against Jamie or Lord Tywin?"

The silence in the room was interrupted by a man flying into the tent and landing on his face.

"Pardon me, my Lords," Alyanna said, following the man into the tent while pointing an arrow at his back. Torrhen Cassel walked in beside her. "Seems we've got ourselves a Lannister scout."

Theon immediately overturned the maps on the table, but the Greatjon reassured him, "Don't worry, lad. He won't be leaving this tent with his head."

"Why did you bring him here?" Robb asked his sister. Most scouts were killed on sight, even Alyanna knew that. Catelyn watched as her two oldest children studied each other. Robb and she both knew Alyanna was smart, but if anyone was to figure out her plan it would be Robb.

"I found him above the encampment. He was counting." Alyanna spoke while maintaining eye contact with Robb as he walked around the table. "Tell him how high you got," she poked the scout in the back with her arrow. Robb was standing in front of them now and the whole room was tense. Everyone could tell that something was going on between the twins, but no one could discover what.

The scout looked around before replying, "Twenty-thousand, maybe more." Catelyn knew that Robb only had eighteen-thousand men; the scout had miscounted.

"There you have it Robb. So, will it be Jamie or Tywin?" Alyanna whispered to her brother.

Robb nodded at his sister, finally seeming to understand her plan. Catelyn was lost staring at her two children, they were practically in their own world until Robb pulled them out with his next words, "Let him go."

"Robb." Catelyn protested. It was bad enough that he allowed his sister to do _anything_ that would result in her coming across Lannister men, but now he was even following along with her seemingly crazy ideas. The glare that Robb sent her quickly silenced her however; it would not look good for him to be chastised by his mother in front of all of his men.

Robb leaned close to the scout and whispered, "Tell Lord Tywin, Winter is coming for him. Twenty-thousand Northerners marching South to find out if he really does shit gold."

The scout was barely able to look Robb in the eye, "Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord." He was then ushered out of the tent by Torrhen and another guard standing by the entrance, Alyanna stayed behind in the tent.

As soon as the Lannister scout was out of sight, the Greatjon turned angrily to Robb, "Are you touched boy? Letting him go?"

"Call me boy again," Robb threatened, "Go on."

Making the smart decision, the Greatjon growled and left the tent. When Robb turned and stood in front of the table again, Lord Manderly whispered, though the whole tent could hear him, "You should do better than listen to you sister, my Lord. Women know little of the ways of war."

Robb simply glared at the man, and Catelyn could feel another tense beside her. She realized that it was Harrion Karstark, whom she had briefly met earlier. Robb looked to Alyanna, seemingly giving her the chance to defend herself.

"Right," Alyanna turned the map on the table back over and began speaking, choosing not to address Lord Manderly. "If we're going to attack the Kingslayer, we'll need to cross the Trident."

"The Kingslayer?" Lord Karstark asked. "But Robb told the scout…."

The room quieted as they all came to the realization of Robb and Alyanna's plan. Make Lord Tywin think they are coming for him, and instead surprise Jamie with an attack. As long as the Blackfish's outriders perform well, Jamie will never see them coming.

"Impressive," The Blackfish spoke for the first time. "If Robb will permit it, I would like for you to join the outriders. I could use a woman like you."

Catelyn wanted to shout _no_ , she did not want her daughter anywhere near this war, but it was not her decision. She had already made the mistake of speaking out against Robb once, and she could not do it again. Her worst fears were realized when she looked at her eldest son and saw him actually considering saying yes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Just a warning, I wrote this chapter all in one sitting so there's probably some spelling or grammar errors – sorry, but I was eager to get this chapter posted since it's been so long. Also, I'm going to be camping and fishing and stuff Sunday – Saturday (pretty much a whole week) so there won't be any updates during that time. Just letting you know in case I don't get another chapter posted before then, though I'll try my best to get out another chapter out before then.**

 **DCQ GameCrasher: You're amazing, thanks for having so much confidence in me as a writer.**

 **Lightningscar: Interesting how you included the word 'maybe' in your last review…..**

* * *

 **Ned**

"What do you want? Tell me. No riddles, no stories. Tell me, what do you want?"

Ned had been visited by Lord Varys again, and he was just as confused this time as he was the last.

"Peace. Did you know that your son is marching south with an army of Northmen? Loyal lad, fighting for his father's freedom."

"Robb? He's just a boy." Ned lowered his head. Robb should not have to carry this weight on his own.

"Boys have been conquerors before. " Varys reasoned.

Ned supposed that was true, Robert and he had only been boys when they took down the Targaryens.

Varys continued speaking, "and his sister rides with him… or more accurately _ahead_ of him. My birds have not heard much, but what they have heard is remarkable. All of the West will know of her soon."

There was a time long ago when all the Seven Kingdoms spoke of Lyanna, the story of her tragedy was spread far and wide. Ned did not want his daughter to suffer the same fate, for all of the Kingdoms to be whispering her name. As Varys would agree, whispers were more dangerous than screams.

"Sansa pleaded so sweetly for your life, it would be a shame to throw it away. Cersei is no fool, she knows a tame wolf is more use to her than a dead one. Tell the Queen you will confess your vile treason, tell your son to lay down his sword and your daughter to lower her bow and proclaim Joffrey as the true heir. Cersei knows you as a man of honor. If you give her the peace she needs and promise to carry her secret to the grave, I believe she will allow you to take the Black and live out your days on the Wall with your brother and your bastard son."

"You want me to serve the woman who murdered my King, who butchered my men, who crippled my son? You think my life is some precious thing to me? That I would trade my honor for a few more years of…of what? I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago."

"Pity, such a pity. What of your daughter's life, My Lord? Is that a precious thing to you?"

Ned did not have an answer for that.

 **Alyanna**

 _Stark._ The bracelet Alyanna gave her sisters was cold on her wrist and served as a constant reminder that she was doing this for _them._ All the miles traveled, the nights spent on the cold ground, the soreness in her legs; she was doing all of this to free Sansa, Arya, and Father. Alyanna's time spent with the outriders was not easy, but they were doing good work - work that ensured Robb's safety as well as the success of his plan.

The outriders had raced down the Neck, ahead of Robb's army, past Greywater Watch, and straight to the Green Fork before Walder Frey even knew Robb's army was coming. Occasionally they came upon a Lannister scouting party, but they were dealt with quick enough. Alyanna had not killed anyone herself, but she had seen her fair share of death already, and Robb had yet to even fight his first battle. His time was coming though. Fighting had already begun in the Riverlands and the Kingslayer has driven the Tully's bannermen to Riverrun, taking siege of the castle. Lord Tywin was bringing up another Lannister army from the South, most likely expecting Robb's attack.

Time was running out, and they had to move quickly now. Most of the outriders had remained behind, on the north side of The Twins and Alyanna was with the other group of outriders, traveling further south. They had ridden along the Green Fork for several days, searching for a place to cross. The river was running high and fast, making it almost impossible to cross the river near the Twins. They needed to cross the river soon, so they could reach Lord Frey's southern tower before Robb approached him from the north.

Mother and the Blackfish were worried that Lord Frey might try and send word of Robb's movements to the Lannisters, so the outriders planned to be stationed by the north and south towers of the Twins when Robb arrived in order to intercept any messages that Walder Frey might send out.

Robb had allowed Alyanna to join the outriders on one condition – that Harrion would remain by her side at all times. Torrhen, as captain of the guard, was required to remain by Robb's side and Harrion was the only other man Robb trusted to protect Alyanna with his life. All of the men were loyal to her because she was their Lady, but to Harrion she was his _wife_ , or would be one day. That invoked a whole new sense of loyalty and protection. He had certainly done his job well so far. Harrion and Quick Silver had both made sure that no Lannister men had come near her; Alyanna hadn't even had to use her bow on a man yet. She mostly shot down ravens and acted as Robb's eyes and ears on the road. She made the same decisions that he would. With Alyanna in the outriders, it was like Robb could be in two places at once.

Three days of riding along the Green Fork had passed and they had yet to find a safe passage across. Alyanna was tired and sore from riding long and hard, she was not used to the rigorous travel like most of these men were. At least Harrion seemed a little sore too, not that he would admit it to anyone, not even her. Alyanna smirked as she saw him wince when he dismounted his horse for the night.

Alyanna winced too as she raised her arms behind her head to detach her quiver from her back. She startled when she felt rough hands over her own, but relaxed when she realized that it was just Harrion removing her quiver for her. After he unhooked the buckles and pulled the straps over her head, Alyanna turned to face him.

"Thanks," Alyanna took her quiver from his hands and placed it on the ground with her other belongings. She had already unsaddled her horse and set up her blanket in the small clearing they were in.

Harrion grunted in response and tried to remove his own sword from his back. Harrion's greatsword was so large that it would drag on the ground if he attached it at his hip, so instead he kept his sword strapped to his back.

"Let me," Alyanna insisted as she swatted his hands away, helping him like he helped her. Alyanna originally approached her relationship with Harrion as a traditional marriage where the woman was submissive, more like a servant. But Harrion insisted that they were _partners_. She liked their relationship much more this way. He trusted her, respected her, and in turn she did the same for him.

Once she undid the clasps, Harrion's sword started to slide from his back and Alyanna let out a surprised squeal as she tried to catch the greatsword as it fell to the ground. Harrion's sword was so heavy that it almost brought her to the ground with it.

Harrion just chuckled and picked up the sword and sheath with one hand. He was too muscular, surely one man didn't need that many muscles, it just wasn't fair.

"You heard nothing," Alyanna pointed a finger at him, referring to the squeal she made seconds ago. The men here wouldn't take her seriously if they saw her acting so… _girly_. She had worked hard to gain their respect and she was determined to keep it.

"Yes, _My Lady_ ," Harrion had started calling her 'My Lady' again, but it was mostly teasing now. He was rarely formal with her, unless they were in a formal setting. Alyanna liked seeing this relaxed side of him; he was much less intimidating this way.

Harrion put his greatsword down by his own blanket, which was laid out right beside hers. Harrion took his promise to Robb to remain by her side very seriously. Or, Alyanna assumed that was why he spent most of his time with her now.

The same as every night, the Blackfish set up nightly guard rotations and dinner consisted of salted meat and hard cheese and bread. They could not risk a fire now; they were too close to the Twins and the Lannisters.

Harrion and Alyanna had guard duty the previous night, so this night they got to sleep, or try to sleep at least. Alyanna still found it difficult to sleep on the hard ground. Somehow, she always managed to choose a spot with a tree root or rock poking into her back. Quick Silver did help to keep her warmer than the other outriders, so she had at least that to be thankful for.

Quick Silver was curled up on her left and Harrion was drifting off to sleep a couple of feet to her right. Alyanna had trouble sleeping however, she was worried that they were running out of time to cross the river and make it back to the Twins to help Robb.

"We need to find that crossing, girl," Alyanna spoke her fear aloud to the direwolf beside her as she drifted off to sleep. Just before sleep overcame her, Alyanna heard the howling of wolves in the distance and felt Quick Silver perk up beside her.

 _The river ran beside me, but I ran faster. Wolves were howling but one sounded more familiar than the rest. One word flashed in my mind –_ _ **Sister**_ _. I ran as fast as I could toward the voices, like they were calling me to them. The night was dark but I could see clearly, I noticed movement in the trees around me. I stopped running and the sound of howling was replaced by the sounds of many footprints in the dirt. I knew that I was surrounded by the wolves, but I was not afraid, I was excited._ _ **Sister**_ _. The wolves began to emerge from the forest, but one was much larger than the others. She was a direwolf, with grey and white fur and striking yellow eyes that were staring straight into mine. Before I could approach her, the direwolf took off running into the woods and I chased after her. We both ran together beside the river, playing like we used to so long ago. After a time,_ _ **sister**_ _stopped running and approached the waters, wanting me to follow her. I could just see a faint light to the east, telling me that it was almost dawn. The water was not running so fast here and I was just able to see my own reflection when I looked into the waters. The first thing I noticed was green eyes, then grey fur and a long nose. I wasn't_ me _– I was a wolf._

Alyanna woke suddenly and sat up, almost bumping Harrion's head with her own. He had been leaning over her and calling her name; he was trying to wake Alyanna up.

"Alyanna?" He asked. His hands were still on Alyanna's shoulders from when he was shaking her awake. His brows were furrowed with worry, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," She replied, rubbing her face to wake herself up, "just… a strange dream. I'm alright."

Standing, Alyanna started packing her things like the others in the camp when she noticed the absence of a certain direwolf.

"Quick Silver, where is she?" Alyanna looked around the camp, but saw no sign of her.

Harrion shrugged as he lifted Alyanna's saddle onto her horse, his was already prepared. "She was gone when I woke."

 _That dream_ … Alyanna had had strange dreams before, some that even seemed to be true. Last night, the dream felt _real_ , like she really was running beside Nymeria in the forest by the river. Nymeria had even led her to a calm spot in the river – just what she was looking for. _What if_ …

Taking a leap of faith, Alyanna jumped onto her horse, just as Harrion had finished securing the straps, and charged straight into the woods.

"Alyanna!" She heard Harrion call behind her, and not long after she heard his horse chasing after hers.

"Are you crazy?" Harrion asked as his horse drew closer to hers. They were still racing through the woods.

"Maybe," _Probably_ , Alyanna thought. "But I know where we can cross." _I hope…_

Alyanna didn't look over at Harrion, but she just knew he was giving her a strange look. She could feel his eyes boring into her.

She recognized this area of the woods now. She, or more accurately Quick Silver, was chasing Nymeria along this path just hours ago. They were close to the crossing now and she could hear the other outriders some distance behind them. She hoped one of them picked up the remainder of her things that she had left on the ground at camp.

Her hands tightened around the reigns and her horse slowed as she reached a small beach on the edge of the Green Fork. The river was much wider here, causing the waters to slow to a manageable pace. Quick Silver was lying on the banks of the river, but stood and let out a bark when she saw Alyanna.

"How…" Harrion gave up on his question and just shook his head slowly with a smile on his face. Alyanna liked when he smiled like this, when the corners of his eyes crinkled, it made him look younger. She liked to think of Harrion as young, for she was young herself.

Dismounting her horse and handing the reigns to Harrion, Alyanna kneeled beside her direwolf and gave her a good scratch behind the ears. "Good work, girl."

Some of the other outriders were now reaching them.

"My Lady, what is the meaning of this?" The Blackfish asked, also dismounting his horse.

Alyanna smiled prettily at him, like Sansa did when she was proud of herself, "We found a place to cross the river."

The Blackfish's eyebrows rose and he tried to keep the impressed look of his face. He reached behind himself and pulled Alyanna's ironwood bow from behind his back.

"Nice work," he handed to bow to her. When she reached forward, her sleeve moved on her arm and revealed a silver bracelet with the word _Stark_ engraved upon the metal.

When Alyanna and the rest of the outriders started crossing the river later that morning, Alyanna looked behind her at the riverbank and thought she could see yellow eyes staring back at her from within the forest.

 **Jon**

All of the brothers were congratulating Jon on his new sword and he tried to put on a smile but it was hard, he did not feel as though he had earned it. He preferred Sam's company. Sam did not care much for swords.

As Jon sat beside Sam on the bench, he could tell something was wrong, he was making even less eye contact than usual.

"What is it?" Jon asked Sam. He could see Pyp playing with Longclaw a couple of tables away.

"I…I can't" Sam still wasn't looking at Jon. Across the room, Grenn wrestled the sword away from Pyp.

"You can't what?" Every time Jon spoke, he could see his breath leaving his lips. He was finally getting used to the scratchy feeling in his throat that came from breathing in such cold air.

"I…I'm really not supposed to say."

"And yet you really want to say. You want to say that…"

"There was a raven," Sam caved. He knew Jon would find out eventually anyway. "I read the message to Maester Aemon. It's your siblings, Robb and Alyanna."

"What? What about them?" Jon desperately asked. He knew the news couldn't be good, there was never good news anymore.

"They're heading south. To war."

"I should be there, I should be with them."

He thought of Robb who was strong and fast with a sword, and Alyanna who was the best archer he had ever seen. They were fighting for their family, for his family. He may be a bastard, but Robb was his brother and Alyanna his sister and he should be with them.

He remembered his last words with Alyanna before he left Winterfell:

 _"Try not to forget us while you're gone."_

 _Jon pulled her into a hug, "I don't think I ever could."_

 **Arya**

The first thing Arya thought when she woke that morning was that she was hungry. She gripped the hilt of Needle as she walked down the alleys in Kings Landing looking for food. She would have more luck outside of the city walls, but Lannister guards patrolled all exits from the city. Arya avoided those areas.

She was tired of eating pigeon, but pigeons were something the city had in abundance. It was not long before one landed in front of her and she was able to catch it. Syrio had taught her how to chase cats and pigeons were much slower than cats.

When her stomach was full of pigeon, Arya was able to sit and rest in an alley. It was then that she remembered her dream. She had been running in a forest, leading a pack of wolves in the Riverlands. Arya has had dreams like this before, but this one was different. She had seen another direwolf. The direwolf looked like Quick Silver, or maybe Grey Wind, but the direwolf was much bigger than she remembered. Arya wondered if Nymeria was that big now too. She had even seen Alyanna in her dream. The sunlight reflecting off a shiny substance on her wrist caught her attention.

Arya lifted her own skirts to look down at the bracelet on her ankle. It reminded her of her sisters and of home. Arya thought that Sansa was probably still stuck in the castle; Arya was even closer to home than Sansa was. Alyanna and Robb were coming for them though, Arya was sure of it.

 **Robb**

He had just arrived at the twins that morning and was relieved to see that the outriders had managed to station themselves on both sides of the Twins. Theon and the outriders were shooting down ravens on this end, and he could barely make out Alyanna's red hair across the river, shooting down any ravens that flew above her as well.

Mother was meeting with Lord Frey now, trying to make a deal with him. Robb _needed_ this crossing. His and Alyanna's entire plan depended on it. His whole family was depending on it.

Robb had never felt such pressure on himself and not having Alyanna with him made it that much worse. He wanted someone to talk to, someone to tell him he was being too hard on himself and that he just needed to trust his instinct. That's what Alyanna would tell him, if she were beside him. Instead, the twins were separated by the Green Fork.

Robb did not like being separated from his sister. He felt that they were strongest when they were together, and right now the Stark family needed all the strength they could get.

* * *

 **A/N: Please** ** _please_** **review, seriously, it's a huge motivator for me.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: Kinda a short chapter…but I'm back from vacation so that's good at least. Also, I hit the 100 follower mark – woo!**

 **Guest: I put Robb's POV in here for you, though he always makes me nervous. He's hard to write and I really want to do his character justice. As for him finding out about Torrhen, that may take a while, Robb can be pretty clueless about love I think.**

* * *

 **Robb**

Robb was tense, the sun was setting and his mother still hadn't returned from the Twins. They were running out of time, Robb was reminded of that each time he sat around his maps with his bannermen and discussed their plans for war. If he was going to surprise Jamie Lannister, the army needed to move quickly. They had wasted too much time at the Green Fork already; it was time they moved on. Luckily, Robb's prayers were answered as his mother strode into the tent where Robb was planning with his bannermen; it seemed as if that was all he did lately – plan. He had yet to see his plans put into action and he was more than ready to start.

All the men in the tent stood as Lady Catelyn entered the tent.

"Well?" Robb asked impatiently. "What did he say?"

Catelyn took a breath before replying, "Lord Walder has granted your crossing."

All of the men shared looks of relief, and a couple of them even let out breaths that they had been holding.

"His men are yours as well," Catelyn continued, the Greatjon let out a grunt of surprise, "less the four hundred he will keep here to hold the crossing against any who would pursue you."

 _Almost too good to be true_ , Robb thought. "What does he want in return?" he asked. Men like Lord Walder _always_ wanted something.

"You will be taking on his son, Olyvar, as your personal squire," Catelyn told Robb. "He expects a knighthood in good time."

"Fine, fine." Robb was still anxious; he was becoming bored of politics and ready to be back on the road again. "And?"

"And Arya," Catelyn rolled her eyes, "will marry his son, Waldron, when they both come of age."

Robb furrowed his brows, "She won't be happy about that." Though, Arya wouldn't be happy marrying _anyone._ "Did he not ask for Alyanna?"

Catelyn rolled her eyes again, "He did, but I assured Lord Walder that Ned has already promised her to another, though Lord Walder took some convincing."

"Good," Robb nodded. Alyanna being engaged to two men would be overly complicated, and would not settle well with the old gods.

"Hmmm," His mother hummed and looked to Robb nervously.

"…and?" Robb asked. _Could there possibly be more?_

"And," Catelyn began hesitantly, "when the fighting is done…you will marry one of his daughters. Whichever you prefer. He has a number he thinks will be…suitable."

"I see," Robb mumbled. He always knew he would have to marry for power one day, but _a Frey_? His parents had found love in an arranged marriage, and Alyanna seemed happy with hers as well. Robb had hoped for the same one day, and as shallow as it may seem, he wanted a pretty wife. "Did you get a look at his daughters?"

Theon snickered beside him, and Robb tried to ignore it.

"I did," his mother answered, but that was all she told him.

"And?" Robb pushed on.

"One was…" Catelyn did not finish her sentence, she didn't need to. "Do you consent?"

"Can I refuse?" Robb asked, though he knew the answer. He was stalling now, when only moments ago he was in a hurry to make a deal and cross the bridge.

"Not if you want to cross." His mother told him.

Disappointed, Robb lowered his head, causing his gaze to fall on the maps in front of him. Suddenly he was reminded why he was here. Robb was not doing this for himself, he was doing this for his family and they were worth every sacrifice he could make. The answer was obvious now.

"Then I consent." Robb had never been so sure of anything. He strode out of the tent and Torrhen followed him.

Torrhen had been his constant companion lately. As captain of the guard, Torrhen was assigned to follow and protect Robb, even in his own camp. Robb hardly saw Alyanna at all anymore, and it was nice to have an old friend by his side.

"Are you ready to see my sister again?" Robb certainly knew he was. He had not seen Alyanna for weeks since she left with the outriders, but he would only admit to his closest friends just how much he missed her. And now she was only one bridge away.

"Are we crossing the Twins tonight then, My Lord?" Torrhen answered with a question of his own. Robb noticed that Torrhen did not like to speak of Alyanna lately. If he had more time and less worries, Robb would have looked into the matter.

"Yes, I don't want to give Lord Walder time to change his mind."

Torrhen smirked, "Or time to remember that you still have two brothers he has not yet wed his daughters to."

Robb chuckled, but it sounded weird to him. He did not laugh much lately.

"Shall I give the order, My Lord?" Torrhen asked.

Robb nodded; it was time now to stop planning and start acting.

* * *

 **Alyanna**

The fire burned red and orange in front of Alyanna and the group of outriders. Their fire was only one of a few on this side of the Twins, a small number in comparison to the hundreds of fires to the North of the Twins where her brother and the rest of his men were. She had seen riders entering the Twins earlier that day, and hoped that some sort of deal was being made with Robb and Lord Walder. Robb still needed to cross the Green Fork. The small group of outriders had been able to cross the Green Fork, but several men and horses did not survive the crossing. Alyanna herself would not have survived if Harrion had not grabbed her as the current started to carry her away. Robb and his thousands of bannermen would not be able to cross the river safely with all of their horses and carts of supplies, and they certainly would not be able to cross the river quickly. And right now, time was of the essence. Alyanna grew nervous; she felt that the dealing with Walder Frey was taking too long. Every minute spent here was another that could be spent marching south to save her family.

She was sitting with Harrion by the fire and did not notice that her leg was bouncing up and down until Harrion placed a hand on her knee. That made Alyanna smile a little, if she knew one thing it was that Harrion's hand would not travel higher than her knee. He was honorable, as men of the North were known to be. She found it endearing.

"Robb will find a way across," Harrion squeezed her knee to reassure her.

"I know," Alyanna sighed, "I just wish he would do it _faster_."

Harrion chucked softly and Alyanna shifted so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Alyanna kept her eyes on the fire, but she thought she could feel Harrion's gaze on her. After a moment, Harrion moved his hand from her knee to behind her back so she could rest more comfortably. Harrion was warm and strong and sturdy, not like the willowy, graceful knights in the tales Sansa and she used to read. Alyanna found that she liked this better.

She smiled as she thought of her sister. Before Father was imprisoned, Sansa had sent her a few letters from King's Landing. In one letter, she had mentioned the Knight of Flowers. Sansa was enamored by Ser Loras who had given her a rose during a tournament held for their father. The way Sansa described him, Alyanna did not think the shoulders of this southron knight could be as comfortable as those of a man of the North. She would have to tell Sansa the next time she saw her.

As the sun fell lower in the sky, Alyanna started to fall asleep with her head on Harrion's shoulder. She was tired; they were _all_ tired. They had ridden hard to reach the Twins in time, and had spent all day watching the sky for ravens and shooting them down. As ready as Alyanna was to march south, she was grateful for this time to rest.

Just as she fell asleep, the sound of war horns resonating from the other side of the river abruptly woke Alyanna up. She removed her head from Harrion's shoulder, allowing the both of them to turn and get a better view of Robb's camp. Harrion kept his hand behind her back, she noticed.

"Robb has the bridge," Harrion whispered. "They're preparing to cross."

Harrion was right. The camp across the river was suddenly alive and Alyanna could see fires being put out and tents collapsing as they were taken down. She even heard the men yelling with excitement, making the oncoming war seem all the more real.

"The men sure sound excited," Alyanna said without thinking. She inwardly cringed; she had not meant to say that aloud.

Harrion sent her a look she could not decipher, "They do not know what they're getting into. Many of them have never seen battle before."

"And you have?" Alyanna asked, though she realized the answer just after she asked. _Of course_ _he has_. He was much too young during the last war, but he's from _Karhold_. His home is one of the northernmost keeps, located much further north than Winterfell. Karhold and the Last Hearth are often the first to respond to wilding threats. Harrion had spent his youth battling _wildlings_. She looked at the scar above his eye and wondered if a wildling gave it to him.

Harrion only looked at her; he knew that she knew the answer to her question. When Harrion looked back at the Twins, Alyanna laid her chin on his shoulder as a silent apology and watched the men start to cross the bridge. The other outriders stood and approached the Twins to greet their companions, but Alyanna and Harrion stayed behind for a while. They both knew what this meant for them.

Most of Robb's men were marching to Riverrun to ambush Jamie Lannister, but Robb was also sending a small force further east under the leadership of Lord Bolton to attack Lord Tywin and halt his march north. Lord Bolton had chosen Harrion as the man to lead his vanguard. So now, Alyanna would travel south-west with her brother while Harrion left to march east with Roose Bolton.

Alyanna reached a hand into the pocket in her cloak and fiddled with the small token inside. Before she could overthink it, Alyanna took the small black object out of her pocket and pressed it into the palm of Harrion's hand. Surprised, Harrion looked down at his hand and saw a small, black arrowhead resting in his palm. It is customary for a woman to give her husband a token of her affections when he went off to war. Most women gave handkerchiefs or something of the like that they sewed themselves, but Alyanna did not have access to those materials on the road. Besides, Harrion liked her black bow and arrows, and she thought this might better remind him of her.

"Just…something to remember me by," Alyanna shrugged, suddenly shy.

Harrion closed his hand around the arrowhead and smiled at her, easing her worry. "I don't think I could forget you, Alyanna, but I will treasure it still."

They both looked down at their hands, neither of them knowing what to say. It was like the first time they met, only now they were saying goodbye.

Alyanna could hear the men crossing the bridge getting closer, and she saw Harrion look over at the Twins. Harrion sighed and looked at Alyanna again. His hand, which she realized was still behind her, pressed into her lower back, causing Alyanna to look up at him.

"I'll find my way back to you," Harrion quietly promised her.

There was a time where Alyanna would not have cared to have Harrion in her life, but now…now things were different. Harrion was her friend, possibly even something more and Alyanna realized that she _wanted_ him to find his way back to her. This battle Roose Bolton was leading him towards, it was dangerous and risky. Many men would not survive. Alyanna hoped that Harrion would be one of the few who did. If anyone could survive, it would be him.

"Make sure that you do," Alyanna told him.

Harrion smiled and his eyes drifted down quickly to look at her lips. He used his hand on her back to pull her closer and Alyanna automatically brought a hand up to rest on his chest. Harrion looked like he was searching Alyanna's eyes for something, and he must have found what he wanted because he started to lean in towards her.

His lips were soft when he kissed her while his beard, which she had grown to like, was rough. The kiss was intended to be brief, but Alyanna surprised herself by leaning forward and kissing him again when Harrion started to pull away. Harrion did not object and instead pulled her closer, his hand burning a hole in the small of her back. As their lips moved together, Alyanna's hand slid up his chest and over his shoulder to rest in the hair behind his neck.

The two were in their own world, kissing by the fire, until one particularly loud yell from the men crossing the bridge caught their attention. Harrion and Alyanna pulled apart and looked over at the bridge where the first men had just finished crossing. _Robb would be over there_ , Alyanna thought.

Alyanna blushed when she looked back over at Harrion again. Her cheeks still tickled from where his beard had brushed against them. Harrion stood and offered her his hand, like he always did, and they walked over to the bridge together. Quick Silver dashed out in front of them and ran straight to Grey Wind. The two direwolves nipped at each other and rolled around in the dirt together.

As they got closer, Alyanna could see that the group of men that had crossed the Twins had already started splitting into two groups and marching separate ways down the causeway. She made eye contact with Robb who gestured for her to join him on his own horse. Hers had been lost when she was crossing the river.

Before joining Robb, she turned to Harrion one last time. They both knew it was time for them to go their separate ways.

"Until next we meet," Harrion told her. He kissed the back of her hand and squeezed it before letting go.

"Until next we meet," Alyanna echoed, trying to be brave by giving Harrion a soft smile.

Harrion walked away from her, towards his own men. Alyanna wondered if this was the last time she would ever see him.

* * *

 **Harrion**

Harrion did not have a horse now; Robb had given Lord Bolton most of his foot soldiers, so Harrion walked beside the other Karstark men in his company. The army beside him was small, but they were not fighting to win, they were fighting so _Robb_ could win. Lord Tywin need to be occupied so he couldn't provide Jamie aid, and Harrion and the rest of the men under Bolton's charge would provide that distraction.

There was no hope of winning the battle, but Harrion had to have hope that he would survive. He had a reason to survive – the woman that would one day be his wife. Instead of thinking about the battle looming above him, he chose to think of her. The way her hair shone like copper in the sunlight, her quick fingers when she fletched arrows, her kindness, her courage, her _kiss_. He remembered the way she laid her head on his shoulder as they sat together by the fire. She did it automatically, without thinking. She was finally comfortable around him and he was leaving her. _I'll find my way back to her_ , Harrion told himself as he rubbed the black arrowhead between his fingers.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 **A/N: I know, I know, I'm terrible. But, to be fair, I just started my senior year of college and have been busy with applying for jobs and interviews which is** **kinda important** **so….. I'm still sorry this update took so long though, hopefully the next one will be quicker. Luckily for ya'll it's a Friday night and I have pink eye so there's nothing else for me to do but write.**

 **As always, sorry for any mistakes. I wrote this all tonight with only one eye that can open fully so…**

* * *

 **Alyanna**

"Woah," Alyanna pulled back on the reigns to slow her horse. She and the other outriders were nearly at Robb's camp and there was no use in wearing out their horses now. The danger was far behind them…or far _enough_ behind them at least. Plus, they had killed all the Lannister outriders they had run into over the last two days.

Two days she had been away from Robb and Mother. A small amount of time compared to some of her other trips, but she missed them all the same. And anyways, Robb's northern army was gaining ground quickly and war was fast approaching. She was reminded of that each time she ran into more and more Lannister outriders and scouts.

She was nearly home now, though. Reaching the top of a hill, she could see Robb's banners on the horizon. The Stark banners, a grey direwolf on a white field, flew high above all the others. They were beautiful: crisp, white, and clean. The Stark banners were not colorful or bold like those of the other houses. Her banners reminded Alyanna of winter mornings, when the first snows had fallen, covering everything in a white blanket. The world seemed so simple then, when everything was white and clean. Now, her world was full of blacks, greens, yellows, and worst of all red.

Red used to remind Alyanna of the godswood, but now she hated the color. Red was a Lannister color. Riding with the outriders through the Riverlands, Alyanna has seen first-hand the devastation caused by the Lannisters. They've burned and pillaged the countryside, ruining and destroying innocent lives, all in the name of war. All under the name of a false King.

During her experiences, Alyanna has come to one conclusion: that she could never bend the knee to a Lannister. Joffrey's last name was Baratheon, but he did not deserve the name. His mother stole it. Joffrey was a Lannister and all Lannisters were bullies. That family was not fit to rule kingdoms; they did not care about the people in them. Alyanna has seen evidence of that all over the Riverlands.

No, the Lannisters had to be stopped, and Alyanna supposed that Robb and she were the ones to do it. It was no longer just about saving her family, it was about saving all of the families. All of those the Lannisters would harm. Though, Alyanna still considered her sisters and father a priority. _Father_. Now he would make a good king. He would hate it, of course, but the seven kingdoms would be all the better for it. Alyanna thought that perhaps those that want **most** to be King, may be those who deserve it the _least_.

Alyanna wondered who would be King when all this was over….or _Queen_ , she supposed. Maybe the kingdoms would be better without any Kings at all. Alyanna laughed to herself at the thought.

"And what, _exactly_ , are you laughing about?" Torrhen asked as he pulled his horse up beside hers. Torrhen Karstark, not the Torrhen from her childhood. She hadn't really talked to _that_ Torrhen in a while.

"Oh, nothing," Alyanna shared a secret smile with herself. Probably best **not** to share her previous thoughts with anyone, she did not know many who would agree with her.

"No, no, it definitely looks like something." Another horse came upon her other side, this one carrying Eddard Karstark. When Harrion left, Robb sent the two younger Karstark brothers to protect Alyanna in his place.

"Really," Alyanna looked between the two brothers, "I'm just…glad to be back."

"I should say so," Eddard teased. "I don't think you've laughed once this whole trip."

"It seems she prefers Robb's company to our own, wouldn't you say, brother?" Torrhen asked Eddard.

"Well, Robb _is_ my brother." Alyanna joined in the teasing.

"Yes, but so are we… or we will be, one day." Both Karstarks smiled at her.

Alyanna tried to smile back, but she could not get the corners of her lips to turn up. The younger Karstark brothers were much more optimistic than she was. Alyanna did not know what the future held for herself or the Karstarks. All she could do was focus on the **now**. If she wanted her family, the Karstarks, and all the other northmen to survive then she would have to stay focused. She had to talk to Robb.

Robb had let her join the outriders so that she could be his eyes and ears on the road. He trusted her to sort through all they learned during their rides and know what information was valuable to him. Alyanna had acquired lots of valuable information about the Kingslayer and his armies on this last trip.

This was the best way for her to help Robb and his men during this war. She had been slowly gaining the respect of his bannermen, they trusted her now. She could speak freely in Robb's war meetings without being questioned or having to rely on Robb or Harrion to stand up for her.

She was glad she had their respect, because she needed them to listen to her now. After seeing all of the destruction of the Riverlands, her mother's homeland, Alyanna was determined to put a stop to the Lannisters. She wanted to help those poor people, and this was the best way she knew how.

Alyanna and the Blackfish rode in front of the outriders as they entered Robb's camp. Quick Silver jogged in front of the horses and scared away any men that had yet to move out of their way. The direwolf was full grown now and three times as big as any hound in their kennels, though still a little smaller than Grey Wind. There were few men in the camp that were not frightened by the sight of the direwolves.

The outriders began to separate, each going to his own area of the camp, but Alyanna and the Blackfish rode to the center of camp where they knew Robb was most likely to be found. Sure enough, they found Robb in a tent, in another meeting with his bannermen. Robb was in a lot of meetings and discussions lately.

All of the men stood when Alyanna entered and a few nodded their heads in greeting. She could see Robb and her mother visibly relax when they saw her. Both of them always worried when Alyanna left with the outriders, but Alyanna did not know why. She had the men and Quick Silver to protect her.

"My Lords," Alyanna gave a small curtsy and walked around the table to sit in the empty seat beside Robb. Quick Silver followed her and lay at her feet beside Grey Wind who was lying under the table in front of Robb.

The men continued the conversation where they had left off and Alyanna stayed silent and listened, waiting for her turn to speak. Her chance came soon enough.

"Most of the riverlords are under siege in Riverrun, but Lord Mallister's host has joined us. We must march on Riverrun now while we have the men." Lord Glover argued.

Not all of Edmure Tully's army had been trapped in Riverrun when it was besieged by the Lannister army, but those that were left behind scattered. When the men heard that Robb was marching to free Riverrun, they joined his forces – hoping to help free their home.

Robb shook his head, "Jamie would see us coming, we would lose the element of surprise."

"Jamie's been restless," Alyanna blurted. All of the men turned and looked at her and she was suddenly nervous. Alyanna was always worried to do or say the wrong thing. One wrong move or silly comment by her, and she would lose the trust of these men that she had worked so hard to gain. She did not know how Father and Robb did it, looked so sure and confident in front of their men. In the beginning, Robb was constantly questioned by his men, but he always stood his ground.

Robb nudged her knee with his own under the table and gave her a small smile when she looked over at him. He would always have faith in her, at least.

Alyanna cleared her throat before speaking again, "The Kingslayer's been leading raiding parties. Either to terrorize local villages or attack Edmure's scattered men along the countryside. He doesn't like standing still; he's been looking for a fight."

"Then we'll give him a fight," Robb smiled at her. It was a small smile, barely there, but she saw it nonetheless. He turned in his seat and spoke to the rest of his bannermen, "We'll stage a raid and draw the Kingslayer out of his camp."

"My Lord," Lord Cerwyn spoke up, "Jamie will recognize the northern banners, the surprise will still be spoiled."

"Not if we don't use our banners." Robb looked at the only Riverlord at the table, "Lord Mallister, your men will lead a round of small raids, just large enough to gain the Kingslayers attention and draw him out. Then he will only think it is a small group of Edmure's men causing trouble. Little will he know, the entire North will be waiting for him."

The tent erupted into chatter as the men discussed the plan. Alyanna sat and listened to them, only speaking occasionally. Her mother did not say much either. She thought her mother would have more to say, especially since this concerned her family and childhood home, but she remained silent. Perhaps Catelyn was worried, Alyanna certainly was.

They had a defined battle plan now. The war seemed more real than ever. Sure, she had seen death and destruction during her turn with the outriders, but she mostly saw the aftermath. Now, she sat and listed to Robb plan a battle – a battle that he would be engaging in. He could be very well planning his own death. He was certainly planning for the death of others, that was a given in battle. How could one do that? Decide that others should die? Alyanna supposed that when it came down to it, it was us or them. The Starks or the Lannisters – kill them or they kill us. Alyanna did not even have to think about what side she would choose.

Soon, a plan was drawn and a day was set. Alyanna would be leaving with a small group of outriders in the morning for one last mission before the battle. Lord Mallister would be leading his men on some raids to draw out Jamie Lannister and the outriders would be accompanying them to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Night was quickly approaching when the meeting was ended and the men filed out of the tents. Robb got caught up talking to some of his men, but Alyanna and her mother left together to find some dinner before they retired for the night. Luckily, there was much more game in the Riverlands and there were many fires around the camp willing to share their food, especially with the Stark ladies.

Catelyn disappeared at some point during the night, so Alyanna returned to her tent on her own. She lit a couple of candles in the small tent; the sun was just beginning to set. The rustling of her tent flap alerted her to another presence behind her. There were only a few people who would enter her tent so freely. Turning around, she saw Robb standing by the entrance.

"I just spoke to Mother," he told her. "She has insisted that I have an honor guard to protect me during the battle," Robb sighed.

Alyanna could see why he didn't like the idea, but she was glad her mother mentioned it. She wanted Robb as safe as possible.

"Did you agree?" Alyanna asked, hoping the answer was 'yes'.

"On one condition," Robb walked a little further into the tent. "That you and mother have your own guard protecting you two on the sidelines…" he trailed off.

She lowered her head and looked at her feet. Now she knew why Robb had come here. Robb did not want her to engage in the battle.

Robb and Alyanna did everything together, or at least everything they could. And now Robb was about to ride out to battle, leading their father's bannermen and she could not go with him. As much as she wanted to remain by his side, as they had always done, a part of her knew that she couldn't.

"I've allowed you to travel with the outriders, but I will not allow you out onto a battlefield." Robb just confirmed what she had already guessed.

Part of her wanted to fight him, but a larger part of her knew he was right. Alyanna sighed and turned to face her brother. That was when she noticed the grimace on his face. He was expecting her to fight with him about this, she realized. She would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"I know," Alyanna whispered. She sat on her bed, feeling defeated. She wished she could do more to help Robb, she knew he needed her. Alyanna wished she was able to ride out to battle beside him.

Robb didn't respond, he was searching her face for a lie or a trick. He could always tell when she lied. Robb eventually nodded his head and walked over to sit next to her on the bed. Alyanna then leaned her head on his shoulder like she did when they were kids. At that moment, Grey Wind and Quick Silver wandered into the tent slightly out of breath. There was a bit of blood around the direwolves' mouths and Alyanna realized that they had been out hunting. She was glad that the direwolves were able to feed themselves; it reassured her that if anything were to happen, at least the wolves would be able to survive on their own. Robb still had yet to say anything and Alyanna thought he might be worried about riding into battle without her; she opened her mouth to reassure him when Robb spoke instead.

"Since you're in such an agreeable mood, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about," Robb paused as if to gather his words before continuing, "If something happens, if the Lannister's forces get past our own…"

Alyanna's breath caught in her throat. She knew Robb was riding out into battle, but she refused to think any further than that. Alyanna didn't know what she would do if something were to happen to Robb. Would she have to command the banners? They had grown to respect her, but surely they wouldn't follow a woman. Not even a woman, at the moment Alyanna felt like nothing but a little girl. She would be lost without Robb. Alyanna opened her mouth to say that 'no, nothing would happen, nothing _could_ happen,' but the words would not come out. Robb continued to speak, "…I want you to take mother and Quick Silver and run."

"Run? No! I'm not running from the Lannisters, Robb." Alyanna had agreed not to ride out into battle, but if the battle came to her she wasn't backing down.

"If the Lannister's forces get past our own, there won't be enough men left to put up much of a fight! You have to leave me." Robb was angry now too. The direwolves shifted restlessly at their feet, watching the twins with careful eyes.

"Robb, I'm not leaving you to…" Alyanna's breath caught in her throat again, she couldn't bring herself to say the word _die_ , "…I'm not leaving you. Where's the courage in that? Where's the honor?"

Robb took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. His next words were spoken softly, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "You cannot think about me, worry about mother and yourself. Our family has already been through enough, and not just in this war. You must do what you can for them. It would do no good for both of us to die. Courage is finding the ability to carry on, to do what you must, when you know that I am gone. Courage is continuing to have hope for yourself, even when you know there is no more hope for me. I know it's not easy. But please promise me; _promise me you'll do this_."

Alyanna didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she would be strong enough to carry on without Robb, he seemed to be her strength at most times. But Robb made a valid point, and she knew she had to try. For the first time in a long time Alyanna wanted to cry, but she would not let the tears fall. Looking at Robb, she realized that he was just as scared as she was. From this moment on, Alyanna vowed to be stronger, for Robb, for her mother… and for herself.

"I promise," she replied and laid her head back on her brother's shoulder while Robb wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

The next morning, Alyanna was out with the outriders again. Her bow was strapped to her back and the wind whipped her hair around her face as she rode across the valley. The banners of house Mallister flapped in the wind. Eddard Karstark let out a laugh as he rode beside her. The group slowed when they reached the cover of the woods and Alyanna remained around the perimeter while some of the men rode further into the forest.

A day or two from now, Robb would be fighting his battle here, in these woods. The forest was different from the woods back home. The trees were greener here, not as exposed to as much cold as those in the North. Some of leaves were turning red and brown now, a sign that winter was coming. Alyanna wondered if it was snowing back home. She preferred a white forest to a red one. She wondered if Robb felt the same, though she didn't think he'd have time for such thoughts while fighting.

A twig snapped behind her and Alyanna turned on the back of her horse, expecting to see Eddard or Torrhen Karstark. There was no one behind her, not even Quick Silver. She was about the brush off the noise as a woodland animal when an eerie feeling crept up her spine and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Alyanna's fingers twitched as she considered reaching for her bow.

Screams suddenly broke out from different areas of the woods around her and Alyanna's fear was confirmed. They were under attack from Lannister scouts.

There was movement to her left and Alyanna turned quickly, drawing her bow. There was a man there, wearing crimson clothes, who also had drawn a bow and was pointing it right at her. The fingers in his hand flexed as he prepared to release the arrow and Alyanna's did as well. Her arrow was pointed right at his neck; she would kill him if she released her arrow. She was ready to release, but…the man hesitated. It was too late for Alyanna though, her fingers had already started to let go. Desperate, she moved her bow arm; she did not want to kill him. Both Alyanna and the man watched with wide eyes as her arrow landed in the tree beside the man.

It was then that the man decided to fire his own bow. Alyanna quickly tried to draw another arrow when she felt a sharp pain in her side and fell off her horse. The wind was knocked out of her and her horse ran away frightened, leaving nothing between her and the man. He started to draw another arrow when he quickly looked behind Alyanna and instead turned and ran into the forest. A couple of northmen ran past Alyanna and after the man with their swords drawn.

There was a howl and someone calling her name. Alyanna turned her head and saw the two younger Karstark brothers running towards her. She saw Harrion in his brothers then. She had never seen the younger Karstarks to serious or solomn before and she did not like it. She did not understand why they looked so worried, she was okay, _really_ , just a little sleepy. She could hear one of the brothers telling her to stay awake, but she didn't want to listen to him. There was a dull hum resounding in the back of her skull, she liked the sound of it much better than the loud voices around her. The hum grew louder as she felt her body lifted from the ground. Her vision was blurry, she couldn't make out shapes, but she could see colors. There was too much red for her liking. She hated that color. Alyanna closed her eyes and dreamed of white.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and whatever points in the plot you don't recognize, everything else belongs to George R.R. Martin and HBO.**

 ***unedited***

* * *

 **Harrion**

They had marched hard and strong to reach the Lannisters, and now they were finally here. It was night and Lord Bolton had hoped to catch Tywin's camp by surprise, but they had been spotted and now Tywin Lannister's army stood all in a line, facing them from across the hill. A meager 2,000 against over 10,000. A surprise attack was their best bet, and now even that was taken away from them. War horns sounded from both sides and the charge began. Harrion sent out a prayer to the old gods, hoping they could still hear him.

* * *

 **Alyanna**

Alyanna was cold. There was a heavy weight on her, soft like fur, but yet she was still cold. Except for her hand; there was something warm in her hand. She felt many other things too: cool water poured over her lips, the breath of a direwolf on her cheeks, a pain in her side, or a hand resting on her forehead. Alyanna felt many things while she was out, but the warmth in her hand remained. Eventually, that warmth spread through her whole body, and that was when she finally woke.

Her eyes did not take long to adjust; the only light was from a few candles in the tent. _Her_ tent, she realized. Looking down her side, Alyanna saw another hand gripping her own. _So, that's where the warmth came from_. The hand belonged to Torrhen. His thumb traced patterns across her skin as he watched the flame flicker on one of the candles. The light caused shadows to dance across his face and Alyanna was content to continue lying in bed and stare at him for a while. But, she had to break the silence eventually. Alyanna hoped that the crease in his brow would disappear if he knew that she was awake.

"You were right," Alyanna croaked. Her throat was sore. "I'm not a killer."

Torrhen whipped his head around to face Alyanna when he heard her voice. He just stared at her for a moment and moved his free hand hold her cheek.

"I don't want you to be," Torrhen smiled softly at her. "You're better off just the way you are."

She wanted to argue with him. They were at war, she needed to be strong. She needed to be able to do what was necessary. But… Alyanna has argued with Torrhen about this before and she was starting to realize just how right he was. She hasn't been able to kill anyone yet. Not that she wanted to, she just…just wanted to help.

Sighing, Alyanna closed her eyes. If she concentrated, Alyanna could hear Robb giving orders outside. There was lots of noise around the northern camp.

"When?" Alyanna asked. She turned to look at the entrance to her tent. Night had already fallen, but she could see flashes of light through the cracks in the tent flaps.

"Soon," Torrhen squeezed her hand. _Soon_. Soon, the first battle of the war would begin and the Lannister's would see what Robb's words are worth.

Alyanna looked at Torrhen this time, "Look after him." She didn't have to say Robb's name, Torrhen would know who she was talking about.

"For you Starks," he smiled at her, "I'd do anything."

Alyanna tried to sit up then, that was when she noticed the pain in her side. Alyanna griped her side and winced. Torrhen's hand on her cheek moved to her shoulder to try and force her to lie back down, but Alyanna just swatted it away and used her hands to push herself up. They were sitting closer now; he wasn't leaning above her anymore.

Alyanna wanted to say her next words to his face. "You be careful too." This time it was her hand that rested on his cheek.

Torrhen brought a hand up to cover her own and bring it to his lips. "I'm not ready to leave you just yet."

A rustling noise caused Alyanna and Torrhen to turn to the front of the tent. Both of them dropped their hands and leaned away from each other when they saw Theon entering the tent. The always-present smirk on his lips seemed even bigger this time.

"Torrhen, Robb requires your presence. He's ready to move out." Theon took a couple of steps towards the pair and rested his hands on his belt.

After a brief hesitation, Torrhen stood from his seat beside Alyanna's bed and walked slowly towards the exit. He looked over his shoulder one last time before he left and sent Alyanna a forced smile before glaring at Theon's back.

"You and the captain," Theon's smirk grew, if that was even possible. "I always had a suspicion; I even mentioned it to Robb once, years ago. He laughed about it then, but… I wonder what he would say now."

Alyanna just glared at him, she did not know what to say. Theon had seen them sitting close; closer than friends would. But, it's not like Torrhen and she had done anything _wrong_. She was still innocent, that's what mattered. Theon could play his games; Alyanna didn't want anything to do with it, especially not while there was a war going on.

 _(break)_

The woods were silent. Only minutes ago, the birds had been calling and wind was rustling through the trees, but now everything had grown still. From atop the hill, Alyanna and her mother watched Jamie Lannister's company moving below them. When the sun hit just right, Alyanna could see the Kingslayer's golden hair shinning between the branches of the trees. Jamie thought he was here stalking a few Tully raiders, little did he know, Robb's entire army were the ones stalking him. Just as the last of Jamie's men entered the forest, northern warhorns broke the silence. The southron men below began to shout as the northern army descended upon them from the hills surrounding the forest.

Alyanna and her mother waited on a ridge with a small army of guards as the fighting broke out below them. Though she could not see what was happening, Alyanna could certainly hear it. The yells turned to screams and the clashing of swords echoed throughout the valley. She could even hear Robb's voice sometimes, yelling 'To me!' and Alyanna knew he must have been calling Grey Wind.

Catelyn shifted nervously on her horse when she heard Robb's voice. Her mother kept up a strong appearance, but Alyanna knew from experience that it was hard to be strong all of the time. She understood her mother's worries, Alyanna was worried too. Robb, Torrhen, the Karstark brothers – they were all fighting down there, but she knew her mother's only concern was Robb. Alyanna sat behind her mother on her horse, since she was still too weak to hold herself up properly, and could feel her mother's back tense.

"Watch Quick Silver," Alyanna whispered to her mother.

Catelyn tilted her head slightly towards Alyanna, but did not say anything. The direwolf was sitting beside their horse, gaze fixed on the forest. Occasionally, Quick Silver would twitch her ears, or paw the ground and snarl.

"Watch her," Alyanna repeated. "She knows what's happening and she'll howl if anything goes wrong."

Eventually, Catelyn shifted her attention to the direwolf beside her. The Stark family had long ago stopped questioning the abilities of these wolves. When Lady had been killed, the direwolves far away in Winterfell had howled all night, like they knew their sister was gone and Alyanna had a feeling that Quick Silver knew exactly what was happening to Robb and Grey Wind below too.

At one point, Quick Silver had grown especially restless. She let out a series of low growls and even stood and took a few steps towards the forest. Alyanna's arms around her mother's waist tightened and her mother grabbed Alyanna's hands. They both watched the direwolf's behavior intently, but eventually Quick Silver calmed and so did the women. The screams and other noises below slowly started to fade, and the woods started to grow quiet once more. It was a different sort of silence this time, more eerie and solemn.

"We should go, My Ladies." Ser Rodrik told them. He had noticed the woods growing quiet too and Robb had given him strict orders to get his mother and sister out of there if anything went wrong.

"No," Catelyn was quick to answer for the both of them. Neither Alyanna nor her mother was ready to give up on Robb.

"My Lady," Ser Rodrick insisted. Both of the girls refused to look at him, instead their gazes flickered between the forest and Quick Silver.

Suddenly, movement broke out below them, and riders swiftly exited the forest. Their clothes were dirty, masking whatever colors they wore, and none of them were carrying banners. Alyanna was tense until her direwolf let out a bark. Not a snarl or a howl, but a bark. Her tail was wagging as she paced beside Alyanna.

Alyanna and her mother let out smiles and sighs of relief then, when they saw a man with red curly hair riding in the front of the column. _Robb_. He was riding a different horse than the one he had gone to battle on, but it was definitely him. _They had won_. Alyanna hugged her mother tight. Robb rode right up to them and stopped, facing them. Looking at her twin from over her mother's shoulder, she noticed that his shield was slashed half to pieces and there was blood on his gloves, but he mostly looked unhurt. He could still ride a horse, which was more than she could do at the moment.

"You're bleeding," Catelyn whispered in shock. When Alyanna looked closer, she saw what her mother was talking about. There was blood on his shoulder.

"No," Robb looked down at himself in shock, like he did not know it was there. "This is…Torrhen's blood, perhaps, or…I do not know."

"Torrhen?" Alyanna asked, or at least she thought she did. She wasn't quite sure if the words made it out of her mouth. Tears were welling in her eyes and her hands started to shake, she hoped her mother didn't notice but at this point she didn't really care.

"Karstark," said a voice from beside Robb. "He killed Torrhen and Eddard Karstark, Daryn Hornwood, and almost a dozen others while fighting his way up to Robb."

Alyanna heard her mother ask who he was talking about, but all Alyanna could do was stare at the man who had ridden up beside Robb. It was Torrhen Cassel. He wasn't dead. Alyanna couldn't take her eyes off of him, at least until another man was dropped at their feet.

Robb dismounted his horse and walked towards the Kingslayer who now lay on the ground with his hands bound. "By the time they knew what was happening, it had already happened."

Jamie Lannister managed to sit up and observe the two ladies sitting on the horse before him. "Lady Stark, I'd offer you my sword, but I seem to have lost it."

Alyanna could feel her mother tense again, "It's not your sword I want. Give me my daughters back. Give me my husband."

"I've lost them too, I'm afraid." Jamie smirked. Torrhen had a handsome smirk, one that was playful and mischievous, but Jamie's was something different. His was sinister, like he knew something that no one else did.

More people were gathering around them now. Most of Robb's bannermen had ridden up to the ridge. There were even some other captures around them, Alyanna noticed.

"Kill him, Robb. Send his head to his father." Theon was milking the crowd. Many of these men were from the Riverlands, areas that Jamie had been pillaging and destroying in his wake.

Robb shook his head, "He's more use to us alive than dead."

"Take him away and put him in irons," Catelyn ordered. They were all tired of looking at him.

The Great Jon and Theon moved forward and picked Jamie up off the ground when the Kingslayer spoke again, "We can end this war right now, boy. Save thousands of lives. You fight for the Starks; I fight for the Lannister's. Swords or lances, teeth, nails – choose your weapons and let's end this here and now."

Jamie was used to getting what he wanted just by opening his mouth and while her brother could be impulsive, Alyanna hoped that Robb was smarter than to fall for Jamie's words. Luckily, Jamie wasn't nearly as clever as Tyrion.

"If we do it your way, Kingslayer, you'd win," Robb glared at Jamie. "We're not doing it your way."

With Robb's final words, Jamie was dismissed and the other men surrounding them started to move away too. Everyone headed back to Robb's camp so they could tend to their wounded and tie up their prisoners. Alyanna held in a wince as the horse she shared with her mother jolted and began to move again.

When they arrived back at camp, Torrhen was there waiting for them. Catelyn dismounted the horse and held the reigns while Torrhen gently helped Alyanna down. She could barely stand on her own feet; riding across the countryside really hadn't helped the pain in her side. Her mother led the horse away while Torrhen helped her walk towards her own tent. She had an arm draped over his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her uninjured side and helped her walk.

The camp was crowded with men moving around, but most of them avoided bumping into her if they could help it. Torrhen used his free arm to shove those that weren't paying attention out of the way. One particularly large group ran into them, causing Alyanna to come face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see – Jamie Lannister.

"Lady Alyanna," he called to her, before she could turn away. "What a pleasure."

Alyanna knew that Jamie could tell she was injured, as his eyes traveled to her side. She could feel Torrhen's hands grip her tighter as he began to shake. Now, she wasn't sure if he was holding her up, or if he was using her to hold himself back. The Kingslayer had not only caused her own family a large amount of grief, but he was also the one who killed Jory Cassel, Torrhen's father.

That was when Jamie noticed Torrhen.

"Cassel, right?" Jamie asked him. Torrhen didn't answer, but the murderous look on his face certainly gave him away. "It is, isn't it?" Jamie smiled and leaned closer to Torrhen, "Yes, I recognize those eyes. I certainly got a close look at your father's when I put a hole in his skull."

With a growl, Torrhen launched himself at the Kingslayer. The only thing that prevented him from reaching Jamie was Alyanna.

"Torrhen," Alyanna gasped. His movement had caused a sharp pain to shoot up her side, and he had stopped supporting most of her weight.

The combination of her voice and her arm around his shoulder caused Torrhen to halt his attack, though Torrhen was still shaking. He sent her an apologetic look and adjusted his hands around her before returning his glare to Jamie Lannister.

Alyanna breathed through her nose, as she tried to focus on something other than the pain. "Careful, Kingslayer," she warned. "You're _our_ prisoner, and most of the people here want to see you **dead**."

She had hoped that her voice had been as menacing as Robb's, but Alyanna hadn't managed to wipe that smug look off of the Kingslayer's face before he was led away by the guards. They had won the battle, captured Jamie Lannister, and fooled Tywin…so why did it feel like the Lannister's were still one step ahead of them?

* * *

 **Sansa**

As frightened as she was, Sansa did her best to stand tall and keep her head held high. The people that stood below her were yelling nasty things, but she knew it would not last. Her father did not deserve such terrible words, and soon they would agree with her. Refusing to let the tears fell, Sansa thought of her mother and Alyanna, and even Arya. They would not let these people see them cry, and neither would she. Her mother and oldest sister were rebelling in the Riverlands and Arya was missing; only Sansa was here to save Father. Her family did not have to rebel, her love would save them. Joffrey is a prince…no, a **king** – and kings are just and valiant – he would spare her father. Sansa knew her father was not a traitor, but people would see that again in time. Her father would be with Jon and Benjen on the wall, close to home, and he would make a name for himself. He will help the nights watch and people would love him again, just like she loves him.

Lord Stark was standing alone, facing the people and Sansa sent him a smile to try and send him some courage. They were doing the right thing. He confessed his treason, everyone knew it was a mistake, he didn't mean it. Sansa hoped and prayed that everyone would understand that, they just needed to _understand_. But the people kept yelling and throwing things at her father. Sansa could feel her heart breaking.

Then…then Maester Pycelle spoke, and he asked Joffrey what should be done to her father. Sansa felt her heart fill with hope. Joffrey would be merciful and her father would be alive and loved once more.

"My mother wishes me to let Lord Eddard join the Night's Watch. Stripped of all titles and powers, he would serve the realm in permanent exile. And My Lady Sansa has begged mercy for her father."

Sansa sent her love a smile, grateful to him for saving her father.

"But they have to soft hearts of women. So long as I am your King, treason will not go unpunished. Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!"

 _No…_

Sansa screamed and screamed for her father. She just had to make them see, they had to understand that he was _good_. Her father was good, you can't kill people like that. All he did was make a mistake, everyone makes mistakes. But no one listened to her. Sansa yelled, trying to make them listen, but no one did. Eventually, even Sansa could not hear her own voice. Everything grew silent as she saw her father forced down onto his knees in front of the crowd. The silence was deafening.


End file.
